The Pledge
by Evey Edge
Summary: Its 1995, one year after the accident that killed Nick's parents. A young man appears in Marie Kessler's living room, with an offer to protect Nick Burkhardt. Can he be trusted? Written as a prequel to the series explaining Renard's connection to Nick, Kelly, and Marie. I plan to skip around chronologically, so watch the chapter titles. Renard NOT SLASH.
1. 1995

A young man in a black tailored suit stood with impeccable posture in the center of the small living room. Despite his youth, he seemed completely at home in his expensive and formal attire. The confident, still air the man exuded might cause a casual observer to mistake him for a man considerably older than his actual 21 years.

Piercing green eyes swept over the room, absorbing everything, down to the minutest detail. The dark blue sofa and matching armchair were faded and a little pilled. They'd probably come with the apartment. Ditto the coffee table with faded water marks. A bookcase against one wall was crammed with everything from a thick tomb on medieval weaponry to the latest John Grisham novel. Photographs covered the walls. The intruder moved closer to scrutinize the images.

The first shot was of two teenage girls, approximately 13 and 15, grinning, arms around each other. The man examined the next frame. It appeared that approximately seven years had passed, and both girls had flowered into beautiful young woman. They stood, no longer arm in arm, but back to back. Their smiles had transformed from open and carefree to confident and knowing. The following photograph also featured the two women, plus a new addition.

The curly-haired woman beamed as she held the newborn infant in her arms. The remainder of the gallery seemed to chronicle the baby's growth as he moved from infancy to early adolescence. In every photograph the boy seemed to be accompanied by one of the women or by the man who'd first appeared when the boy looked no more than two. The intruder's gaze rested on a picture of the boy and his mother making goofy faces at the camera.

"Can you give me a compelling reason I shouldn't shoot you dead where you stand?" The sharp female voice coming from behind him was steady. The man had no doubt she would follow through on her threat, if she deemed it necessary. Continuing to face the wall, he spoke with equal detachment.

"I can give you two. The first is that a thirteen-year-old boy is going to come through that door in roughly ten minutes and then you'd have to explain my body. My second reason it that I am here to help that same boy, and killing me would drastically reduce his chances of continuing his life beyond the reach of certain interested parties." There was a moment of silence as the woman seemed to consider his words.

"Turn around, slowly, with your hands where I can see them." Obediently the man turned to face Marie Kessler, a woman reputed to be one of the world's deadliest Grimms. Her reputation was only rivaled by her younger sister's legend; or rather it had been until a car crash had taken Kelly Burkhardt's life.

"You have five minutes. Talk." The gun was no longer directly pointed at him, but it still readied in the Grimm's right hand, should she not care for what he had to say.

"I'm here to offer your nephew protection." That at least ought to get her attention. Fierce Kessler may have been, but she clearly had a soft spot when it came to the boy.

"Protection? From what exactly?" She was sousing him out, trying to determine his angle. Grimm vision may have been clearer than most, but even it couldn't identify Royalty when it stood before them.

"As I'm sure you're aware. The incident last year attracted a certain amount of attention in our world. Your family has popped back on the radar after a twelve year lull." Though the Wesen world continued to whisper the deeds of the Grimm sisters, no one had been able to pin down their exact location until Rhinebeck last year.

"I would hardly call them a lull."

"I'd didn't mean to imply either you or your sister had been inactive, but you were underground, so to speak." They must have been using fake names, paying in cash, and taking other precautions to ensure they stayed off grid.

"Not underground enough apparently." The Grimm's mouth tightened into a thin line, no doubt reliving the night of the crash. Sean himself was involuntarily drawn back to the memory of that night. The twisted metal, the heat from the flames, and the smell of burning flesh. He pulled himself back into the present.

"My point is that events have forced you to re-emerge and now that the Families have your scent, there is a great deal of interest in your nephew." Potential Grimms were rare finds these days. With the coming upheaval all Royals, himself included, were on the lookout for useful assets.

"Nick is too young to be of any value to the Families." She couldn't be more wrong.

"On the contrary he is just the right age for recruitment. Any psychology book will tell you that this is the point a person is at their most malleable." This was the age strong Wesen had traditionally been removed from their families to enter into royal service. The idea was to mold them young, so they would be obedient when they grew up.

"There's no guarantee as to when, or even if the legacy will be passed to him."

"There are those who'd be more than happy to gamble for the chance of a personal Grimm."

"Then what would you propose to protect him?" This was it, the pitch, he'd been preparing for almost a year.

"Simple. Pledge him to me-" Kessler interrupted him mid-sentence.

"You're out of your mind! You want me to sell you my nephew-" The prince cut the Grimm's rampage short.

"I wasn't finished. I was going to propose you pledge him to me until he inherits his legacy. I would leave him in your care to be raised as you see fit, with no direct interference until the contract expires." Kessler narrowed her eye, taking a few slow breaths to calm her temper.

"And if he never becomes a Grimm?" She was no longer seething, which was a positive sign, however, Kessler was far from sounding convinced.

"Then he'll remain unknowingly under my protection for his entire life." It was a fair deal, more than fair actually. If the child was no Grimm then the boy would be getting the better end of the arrangement.

"And if he does inherit, what then?" Then the prince had every intention of securing Burkhardt's loyalty, by any means necessary. But that, of course,would happen after the deal he was trying to broker today had expired.

"The moment he comes into his powers, he will no longer be pledged to me. He will be as independent a Grimm as you are, with all the freedom and dangers that entails. What I'm offering isn't a lifetime guarantee of safety. No Grimm can be offered that. What I'm offering is time." Time to be a child, time to be normal, time to grow-up. He knew from his preliminary observation of the boy, he had no idea what his aunt was up to when she was 'worked late' at the library. The idea of an innocent upbringing, free of the Wesen world, should appeal to her.

"Very generous. And what would you require in return?"

"Updates. Reports on the boy's growth and development." Simply put, he wanted an edge, an advantage over the others who would come for the new Grimm.

"Insider information? Anything else?"

"Yes. All this moving from place to place, can't be good for the boy. I think is time for him to have some roots."

"Any place in particular?"

"Portland. I've been establishing myself there for the past year. I'm sure I could some pull some strings and set you up in the one of the public libraries." Kessler scowled, undoubtedly irritated he'd uncovered her legitimate source of income.

"It's quite an offer you've made me." The Grimm absently tapped her leg with the gun as she considered his words.

"I assure you, you'll be offer no better by anyone else in my family." The others likely wouldn't approach her at all. They'd watch and wait until the child was alone, snatch him, and vanish.

"I don't doubt that. What I do doubt is the wisdom of making an arrangement with any of you. My sister learned the hard way that trusting royal was akin to letting a scorpion crawl up your arm." The prince couldn't deny there was an ugly history there. After all, he'd witnessed it firsthand.

"Then perhaps I should share your last incentive to accept my proposal." It wasvtime to play his trump card, and he needed to do so delicately, or he would end up with a bullet in the brain.

"I'm listening."

"I'm uniquely equipped to protect your nephew, because I know the truth about him." Kessler breathing changed, ever so slightly. If he hadn't been watching for it, he never would have spotted it.

"What truth?" She thought he was bluffing, blowing smoke, but he wasn't. His fear had been that Kelly hadn't confided in her sister, but obviously she had.

"The truth that no one else in my family knows, not even my father. The truth that would paint a target on his back so large it could be seen from space. That truth." The prince held his breath. If Marie acted on what he knew was her protective instinctive he would be dead in a matter of moments.

"You couldn't…unless…are you…?" Comprehension dawned in the Grimm's eyes, and the prince was, for the moment at least, safe. He offered his right hand to Kessler.

"Sean Renard. I take it your sister mentioned me." The Grimm stared at his offered limb, but made no move to take it.

"Yes. It's funny, but I've always pictured you as child."

"That was how your sister knew me. And trusted me." Renard withdrew his hand with a shrug. Clearly whatever Kelly had shared about their past wasn't enough to secure Marie's confidence in him.

"Yes, but as we've established, my sister has a history of trusting the wrong people. Or had a history, I suppose." Strange that, though it had been more than a year, Kessler still struggled with using the past tense in terms of her sister. Part of him understood why. Sean never would have believed she was dead either if he hadn't the bodies pulled from the wreckage.

"I'm not my father." Even as he spoke the words, he wondered if it wasn't true.

"No. I have a feeling you're much more dangerous."

"So…do we have an agreement?" Renard gestured to his suit pocket and removed a folded piece of paper and a small knife. Kessler stared at the sheet for a full ten seconds, then back up at Renard.

"I don't trust you. Regardless of whatever connection you had to my sister, I don't think you care about safety or happiness of my nephew. However, you have kept Nick's secret and in doing so probably saved his life. If my sister were here with us right now, I know she would tell me to put my faith in that little boy who she knew all those years ago. Kelly is, was Nick's mother. I have to respect what she would have wanted for her son." Kessler took the dagger from Sean's outstretched hand, and cut her thumb in one fluid moment. Pressing it to the paper, she read the first paragraph on the page,

"I, Marie Kessler, Guardian of Nicholas Burkhardt, do Pledge the same to the service of His Royal Highness, Prince Sean of the House of Bourban until such time that the child inherits his Grimm legacy," The Grimm removed her thumb and handed the knife back to Renard, who used it to make an identical cut. Pressing his finger to the page he spoke his oath,

"I, Prince Sean of the House of Bourban, do swear on blood oath, to protect my vassal, Nicholas Burkhurdt, for the duration of his service to me. As he keeps faith with me, so I shall keep faith with him." Sean removed his finger and spoke his part of the closing ritual,

"As it was before," Renard held his breath as Kessler whispered the binding words,

"So it shall be again." The pact was struck.


	2. 1981

Kelly Kessler despised castles, particularly the one she found herself temporarily sequestered in. It wasn't their antiquity that bothered her. As a Grimm she had been raised with deep appreciation for history. No, what Kelly hated about castles was that they were the opposite of homes. Homes existed to bring people together. They were a base, a place to reconnect with loved ones.

Castles, at least to Kelly's mind, existed to separate people from one another. They were big, drafty, buildings with hundreds of empty rooms. Two groups lived within the cold stone walls, the servants and the masters. Those that worked silently in the background and the handful of 'important' individuals whose comfort they slaved for.

If her host could hear her thoughts at the moment, he would undoubtedly shake his head at her, "charming American notions," Smiling that devastating handsome grin of his he would remind her that both groups were doing necessary work.

Kelly had to admit that the privileged class who lived here weren't the "idle rich." No, this castle belonged to House of Bourbon, specifically to the heir apparent, Prince Philippe. In the three months since she had known him the prince had always seemed to be in constantly motion, holding meetings, making phone calls, flying halfway around the world. It was one of the reasons she was so surprised to have been summoned her this evening, for a private supper with His Highness.

Kelly had noticed the prince seemed to be warming to her, perhaps even flirting a bit, but she'd never imagined it would go any further than that. She was attracted to him; he was a handsome, charming prince, but it was a fantasy best left unfulfilled. For one thing the prince was a little over ten years her senior and much more experienced than she was. For another he was a prince, which meant, at least in this corner of the world, he was practically god. What good could possibly come of a relationship where the power was so unequally distributed?

Maybe she was over-thinking this. After all Kelly didn't know for sure if her host had any intentions this evening besides, his stated one of rewarding for her excellent service. Kelly crossed the oriental rug to toward the large window where moonlight was spilling through. As she approached one of the large blood red curtains moved slightly and her Grimm instincts kicked into overdrive. In one fluid motion she unsheathed her sword.

"Come out right now, or I will run the curtain through!" Her mind raced with the possibility of who had been laying in wait. Assassins? Had they come for her or the prince. She readied herself for whatever Wesen monstrosity would charge her. She was somewhat surprised which a boy, maybe seven or eight years old slide out from behind the thick wall of fabric. He had dark hair, pale skin, and eyes that managed to look at once defiant and afraid.

"Are you going to kill me?"


	3. 1981 (2)

"Are you going to kill me?" The words hung in the air like a speech bubble in a comic strip. Kelly blinked and lowered her sword. She had almost skewed a pre-pubescent. How very _Hamlet_ of her.

"I wasn't planning on it," Kelley slid the sword back into its sheath, "What were you doing back there? Were you hiding from someone?" She scrutinized his appearance. He was dressed like a miniature businessman: black jacket and dress pants, a white collar shirt and a red tie.

"No." The boy's chin jerked up as though she'd mortally offended his pride by asking such a thing. Kelly raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you were weren't hiding, then you were spying, and since I'm the only other person in this room, I'm assuming the person you were spying on is me," The boy glared in response, but said nothing, "Why were you spying on me?" Again the boy did not answer. Kelly sighed dramatically.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me, perhaps I'll call Prince Philippe and let him know there is an eavesdropper lurking in his castle. Let me see, where was that cord I'm supposed to pull to call the butler?" Kelly made a show of scanning the room, pretending to ignore the widened eyes of the little boy. Clearly her theatrics were having the intended effect.

"My brother told me a Grimm was coming here tonight to cut off my head. Please do not call the Prince." The words tumbled out of the boy's mouth in a panicked jumbled. His green eyes bored into hers, round with desperation. His Highness must present quite an intimidating figure to this kid.

"Nice brother you've got there. You can relax, I'm the only Grimm in this canton and I'm only here tonight because I was invited for dinner." What kind of a kid tells an 8-year-old someone was going to chop off his head? Marie had played her fair share of pranks on Kelly going up, but she'd never done anything so mean spirited. Whenever Kelly had been frightened Marie had always been there, her big sister, her protector, her rock.

"If you're only here for dinner, then why are you wearing a sword?" She turned her attention back to the boy.

"I never go anywhere unarmed, and this particular sword was a present from my host, Prince Philippe." She'd thought wearing the sword was the smart choice, it emphasized her status as a Grimm, rather than as a woman, and also showcased her appreciation for his generosity as her…boss? Patron? Benefactor? Whatever the right word was, the prince would be reminded of their professional arrangement and hopefully treat her as an employee, not than a date.

"Why did he give you a sword?" Kelly opened her mouth to answer, but a deep, slightly accented voice beat her to it.

"Mademoiselle Kessler earned it in a magnificent display of courage and lethal grace. Is that not so, my dear?"

"I'm not sure I'd characterize it as being particularly graceful." To the best of Kelly's recollection she'd been thrown into a brick wall, sword first. The impact had shattered her blade and fractured her skull. Her vision had been blurred as the Lausenschlange hovered over her pausing just long enough to allow her to slip her spare dagger from her boot and bury the tip into the creature's neck. The last thing she could remember before she blacked out was its warm blood spilling onto her hand.

"Nonsense, everything you do is graceful. There is more poetry in your combat than in the completed works of William Shakespeare," Kelly couldn't quite stifle a small snort at the Prince's flattery. She quickly tried to mask the sound by delicately clearing her throat. Whether or not the Prince was fooled, or simply choose to ignore it, she couldn't say, "She slew a vicious assassin, sent by our enemies to kill me. I thought it only right to replace the blade she so valiantly sacrificed in my service." Kelly smiled awkwardly, but chose not to comment. The truth was that at the time, she'd had no idea who the Wesen had been stalking.

After graduation Kelly had bought a ticket to Europe, and set off to explore her ancestors' old stomping ground. She had relished the chance to finally hunt solo, without her sister or her father nagging that she was being too headstrong or too reckless. On her third night in Vienna she had encountered the Lausenschlange. The beast had woged and one thing had led to another. She'd regained consciousness hours later in what she would discover was Philippe's castle.

Apparently his guards had heard the sounds of the struggle and arrived mere moment after she had passed out. A fortunate thing for Kelly, or else she might have otherwise awoken handcuffed to a hospital bed. Perhaps there was some merit to her family's complaints after all.

Fate, it seemed, rewarded her lack of caution. In addition to the sword, Philippe had persuaded Kelly to remain in his canton for an interim as his "Champion de Royal". He'd explained that due to the scarcity of Grimms the position had been left vacant for many years and as a result the Wesen of his kingdom had grown more aggressive toward the human population. Philippe had said a resident Grimm to enforce royal law would soon convince the monsters to scurry back to their caves.

Initially Kelly had been reluctant because she had been warned by her father that their family line had long since broken with the Royals. When she had mentioned this fact to Philippe, he hadn't been offended, but merely suggested that if it were true then that would mean that last Royals her relations had been in contact with were likely centuries dead. He reasoned that any lingering disputes should be allowed to die with them. Kelly found it hard to argue with his logic, particularly when he was offering to pay her an extremely generous salary for performing the same services her family had done countless times for free.

"How did you kill it, if your sword was damaged?" A male figure stepped out from behind Prince Philippe. Kelly judged him to be about twelve. He face was unremarkable, except for his eyes, which despite his youth, had a distinctive predatory gleam.

"Eric, have I not taught you better than to speak to a guest before you have been formally introduced?" Despite his words the Prince's admonishment had no real bite.

"Yes, Father," The smirk on the boy's face didn't falter an inch. Obviously he was truly chastened. Prince Philippe frowned as he looked beyond Kelly to the younger boy who lingered just a few feet behind her.

"Sean, I believe the same lesson has been taught to you. Stop skulking and come here." The prince's voice had become considerably less warm.

"Yes, Father." The boy, Sean, strode over, chin level to the floor, and spine straighter than any boy's should ever be.

"Why were you downstairs pestering our guest before you had been summoned to dinner? I can see the etiquette classes I send you to have had no effect." Sean's lips pressed tightly together, but he said nothing. Eric's lips in contrast seem to stretch a quarter inch at his brother's discomfort. Something about that grin made Kelly open her mouth before she had fully realized what she was doing.

"It was my fault," she blurted out and all three pairs of eyes swung to focus on her. Crap. Now was definitely the time for some quick thinking, "I was caught up examining the beautiful artwork in your halls and I got lost. This young man was chivalrous enough to guide me back. Forgive me?" She forced a smile to her lips and stared at Prince Phillip, hoping against hope he didn't call her on her bullshit. The Prince's forehead furrowed for a moment before returning to its typical smoothness. He too, summoned a smile, one that had to appear ten times more convincing than hers.

"But of course. I am only glad Sean seems to have made so favorable an impression. It was, I confess, on the behalf of both Sean and Eric that I asked you here tonight. Not, of course that the pleasure of your company wouldn't have been reason enough. They are, as you no doubt have guessed, my sons and I wish you to become their tutor."

"Their tutor?" Kelly's mouth fell open slightly in shock.

"In the art of ancient combat." She supposed that made more sense than the Prince's wanting her to quiz them on arithmetic, but still…

"Your Highness, I'm flattered, but I've never tutored anyone before in my life."

"Perhaps not, but you were yourself instructed in weaponry, correct?" He definitely had her there. She and Marie had been drilled into the ground years before they went on their first actual hunt.

"Yes."

"And you remember those lessons and techniques that were passed on to you?" All too vividly, in Kelly's opinion. Only about half of her scars and broken bones could be attributed to actually Wesen. The rest had been the toll of her father's training regimen.

"Yes."

"Then do you not think you could pass some of that knowledge along to my sons in the few short months they are home on their summer a sabbatical? At my expense, of course."

"Please understand, it's not the money, it's that I don't know what kind of a teacher I'd be. There must be others with more experience with instruction." Kelly didn't know the first thing about teaching kids and she was pretty damn sure she wanted as little as possible to do with the pre-teen creep who apparently delighted in his brother's torment.

"Perhaps there are, but they would not be Grimms. The world is a dangerous place for a prince and I want my sons to as prepared to defend themselves as I can make them. I would be deeply grateful for any assistance you could offer." The prince's deep brown eyes bore into her, imploring her to reconsider. Uncomfortable, Kelly glanced down at Sean, whose eyes seemed to be similarly fixed on her, in a hopeful and appealing fashion. She felt her resolve give way.

"It would be my honor."


	4. 1998

"STRIKE ONE!" cried the umpire and the bleachers responded with only a smattering of applause. Though the seats were packed with enthusiastic fans, no one wanted to break their pitcher's concentration. It was the bottom of the ninth and their team was ahead by two runs. This lead could largely be attributed to the sixteen-year-old digging his cleats into the mound. The boy pulled his glove into his chest. In one fluid movement he wound up and let fly. The hitter's bat swung round, connecting with nothing but air.

"STRIKE TWO!" Renard watched as the pitcher allowed himself a small grin as his glove snapped shut on the returned baseball. The pure enjoyment written on his face appeared unhampered by the heckling of the opposition. He seemed so…happy. Renard tried to recall a time when he'd last experienced that blissfully innocent emotion. It would have happened before he and his mother had fled to America…Perhaps in Vienna…yes, he'd come closest in Vienna. All the things he'd done and places he'd been since, and yet all roads seemed to lead back there.

His thoughts were interrupted by the pitcher's kicking up his leg. Despite himself, Renard held his breath as the white comet rocketed towards home plate. Once again the lumber swung round, only to have the ball curve at the last possible instant. There was an audible slap as leather met leather.

"STRIKE THREE. YOU'RE OUT!" Spectators exploded with cheers and the winning team charged the field to slap the back of their hero. Renard added his applause to cacophony of celebration. Nick had done very well.

"What are you doing here?!" a voice hissed from behind him. Renard lazily turned to face an irate Marie Kessler. As he took in the baseball cap, jeans and team jersey he suppressed the impulse to laugh. In those cloths she appeared no different than the scores of other team parents rising from their seats to offer congratulations or condolences to their child.

"Watching the game. Your nephew is quite the athlete." Kessler's eyes glittered dangerously, just as they had the first night they'd me. Still it wasn't as those she could pull a gun on him in the middle of a ballpark with civilians everywhere. He'd choose his battleground well.

"We had an agreement. You promised no direct interference."

"You also made promises to me, promises that have not been kept. If you don't hold up your end, I won't hold up mine." Grimm or no he couldn't allow Kessler to take the upper hand in this conversation.

"I've held up my end. We're here, aren't we? In your territory or whatever you call it." She sounded slightly bitter, as though there were something distasteful about having to live in Portland. This probably had less to do with the annual rainfall than it did with him.

"Canton, and the move was only part of the arrangement. You promised regular updates and I haven't heard a word from you in over eight months." He'd left her so many unanswered voicemails that he was being to feel like a clingy ex-boyfriend.

"He's had no dreams, or anything indicating he's coming into his legacy. He's learned nothing about the Wesen world. I had nothing of interest to you to report."

"Don't presume you know what does or does not interest me." Knowing when and if Nick would become a Grimm was vital, but there were other thing he needed a deeper knowledge of.

"What else could you possibly want to know? What girl he's dating? How he's fairing in Biology? His batting average?"

"Yes to all of the above." Marie blinked in response, no doubt shocked her litany of personal details had any value to him.

"You're not serious. How could any of that possibly-"

"I want to know him, Marie. I want to know everything: likes, dislikes, friends, girlfriends, strengths, and weaknesses." Who was Nick Burkhardt? It was a more complicated question than simply a Grimm or not a Grimm. Whichever category Nick ended up falling under would have a huge impact on the direction he life would take, but it would no more fully defined him than being a Prince defined Renard. The gifts Nick might inherit were like any other kind of inborn ability, once it was established that you had it, the question became, 'What will you do with it?'

"So you can exploit and manipulate him?" Renard wouldn't deny that being intimately familiar with the details of Nick's life would make it easier to be a guiding hand, when and if the time came. He had additional motives, but he had no desire to share them with Kessler.

"My reasons are my own; I don't owe you an explanation. You do, however, owe me." Renard passed Kessler a folded newspaper and watched as she scanned the article about the German tourist who'd been shot and killed in a hotel robbery gone wrong.

"Your handiwork?" It appeared the Grimm could read between the lines. She didn't seem particularly shocked at his crime, but then he knew she's taken her first life when she was five years younger than he was now. Of course this wasn't exactly Renard's first kill. Although she didn't know it, he had her beat by four years: 16 rather than 20. He'd been Nick's age. Renard glanced over at the field where the boy was still laughing with his teammates. No, he'd never been Nick's age.

"He arrived a week ago. I make it my business to keep an eye on all European tourists visiting our fair city. The name wrung a bell. I tracked him and broke into his hotel room. This is what I found." He passed Marie the large manila envelope he'd held in his left hand. The Grimm's eyes widened as she pulled out the photos. They were shot after shot of Nick. Nick laughing with friends. Nick swinging a baseball bat. Nick entering his apartment building. Marie's lips pressed together with enough pressure to turn them white. She slid the photographs back in the envelope.

"He was hired to kidnap Nick and deliver him to his employer." Renard had found a notepad with name of disreputable former pilot whose cargo policy was "don't ask, don't tell." At least it had been, before Renard had paid him a man had been strongly advised to be more…scrupulous.

"Who was his employer?"

"A member of one of the Families. He didn't know which one."

"How do you know?" Renard's mind flew back to that hotel room with Nick's would-be kidnapper chained to a chair.

"Because I asked him." Repeatedly and with great persuasion.

"That proves nothing, he could have lied." He thought back to the bloodied brass knuckles that he'd dumped into the river along with the drop gun he'd used to conclude the interview.

"Not with the way I was asking. He said he was contacted through a private number that's only given to the royal families. A middleman was to be waiting at the pickup in a private airfield in Germany, once the money had been wired into a Swiss account." Kessler's eyebrows shot up as she made the connection.

"Germany? Was he-"

"Verrat? Yes." Yet another reason Renard felt no remorse over his actions. Not only had the Schakal planned to abduct an innocent sixteen-year-old boy, a boy under his protection, but the Wesen was an agent of an organization he despised only slightly less than he despised Eric.

"Oh God, no." Blood drained rapidly from Kessler's face, unconsciously being rerouted to her limbs, so that she might flee the threat her brain was signaling. Renard was witnessing something he doubted another living soul had ever seen: Marie Kessler, afraid. Her face was no longer pinched with anger, and for the first time he could see the smallest resemblance to Kelly.

"They don't know, Marie." Her first name just slipped out, the way so few words did these days. He felt the strangest urge to reach out a put a hand on her shoulder.

"And you know that how?"

"I told you, I ASKED. Believe me, no one knows, and no one will ever know except you and me." Where on earth had this soothing tone come from? Renard was allied with Kessler at the moment, but that didn't mean he shouldn't try and take advantage of this moment of personal weakness. Instead he was…coddling her.

"And I'm supposed to take your word for that?" Kessler's biting words snapped him back to his senses. The Grimm was most definitely not a woman who needed to be coddled, particularly by him.

"Yes. I gain nothing by exposing Nick." They had returned to the safer territory of mutual distrust. What a relief.

"Someone could still figure it out." And the world could end tomorrow,but if everyone allowed that possible to dictate the course of their lives, the world would be in serious trouble.

"Your sister was careful." The records and certificate were expertly forged, it had been one of the first things he'd checked the day he'd resolved to have Nick Burkhardt as his personal Grimm.

"That's no guarantee. We have to leave." Kessler was thinking emotionally, not rationally and she needed to be set straight.

"I told you before, there are no guarantees, not for you or me or him. All we have is our best shot, and like or not, Nick's best shot is me."

"So you claim." Kessler may have been reluctant to admit it, but Renard had already demonstrated his value. If not for him Nick might at this moment be locked in some dungeon, being re-educated until he no longer had remember his own name.

"So I've proven. Look at him. See how happy he is? Are you really going to deprive him of that by taking him on the run? Is that what Kelly would have wanted?"

"Don't you dare talk to me about my sister, not after what your family did!" Now it was Renard's turn to stiffen. His features become a stone mask.

"You know I had nothing to do with that." Memories returned unbidden to the forefront of his mind. Gaseline. Heat from the flames. Kelly. No, he couldn't let them have control over him. He had to push them down, lock them away.

"Do I?" Damn her for bringing up that night. How many times had he considered purchasing a Zaubatrunk to rid himself of those recollections he kept buried, deep, deep, down. In the end he'd elected not to. While he couldn't afford to dwell on them, he needed those memories to tap into from time to time. The pain may have been crippling, but the rage that had spawned from it was fuel.

"You don't trust me, and that is your prerogative, but I took a blood oath to protect Nick to the best of my abilities, and I intend to keep it." Renard would honor his promise, by whatever means necessary.

"How exactly do you plan to do that? Shoot every tourist who comes to Portland?"

"Nothing quite so drastic. I've made our arrangement a matter of official record through the proper channels." There would no more 'miscommunications' about proprietary rights. Sean had circulated copies of the official document and no royal could now claim ignorance. Under the laws and traditions of the Houses, Nick belonged to Renard, at least for now.

"You bastard!" Renard allowed the old taunt to roll off him. Few people, outside the Royals actually used the word for its original meaning. Most people in the civilized 21st century didn't care whether or not his parents had been married.

"I'd be careful with how you use that word, considering-" Marie cut him off before he could finish.

"I don't give a damn about watching my language. It was bad enough that one of those power-hunger sociopaths found Nick, but you've just shot up a flare and told all the rest where to look." While Sean could see her perspective, the pros of his choice outweighed the cons.

"They may know where to look, but now they also know that they may not touch. The penalties for imposing on my claim would not be worth the reward. Nick is safe, or as safe as he will ever be."

"And if one of them disagrees?" The Schakal knew the answer to that. If they dared come after what was his, he would be ready.

"I'm sure you plan on keeping a close eye on him. I intend to do the same." Renard's plan was in motion even as he spoke. His showing up at this place and time and having this conversation had been deliberate. He'd needed to distract the Grimm to the point she wouldn't notice her nephew approaching the pair of them. It was time.


	5. 1998 (2)

Nick jogged toward his aunt, the wide grin still stretched across his face.

"Leave!" hissed Marie Kessler through the smile she'd plastered on her face for her nephew's sake. Renard just smiled innocently back at her, not having the slightest intention of budging. Nick stopped before them, slightly out of breath.

"Aunt Marie! Did you see it?" The boy gave Renard a quick smile of acknowledgement before turning his attention back to the Grimm. Marie's grin seemed to become slightly less forced as she regarded her nephew.

"If by 'it', no you mean that perfect no hitter pitched by my incredibly talented nephew, then I have to say, no, I was far too busy eating my cracker jacks to notice." She reached out and fondly ruffled his hair. The affection gesture made Renard's heart skip a painful beat. It caught him completely off guard, the sudden tightening in his chest, and the memory that had come with it. Was it because of the wound Kessler had recently re-opened, or were those feelings simply not buried as deep as he'd hoped they were. Either way, for the present he needed to return to the task at hand. Marie's postured hadn't changed, and from than he deduced he had managed to keep himself from woging. Small mercies, he supposed. Nick didn't appear to notice any change either, he was too busy shaking off his aunt and laughing.

"You're so full of it." Nick's eyes slide back, to Renard, who was smiling pleasantly at him, and back to Kessler, clearly waiting for an introduction. The Grimm however was busy pretending Renard didn't exist, probably in the hope that he would take the hint and leave. Sean had no intention of granting her wish. He extended his hand to Nick.

"Good game. That's quite a curveball you have there." Nick pumped his hand once. It was a firm grip for a boy of Nick's age.

"Thanks. Hey, don't I know you?" The teen's eyes narrowed, trying to place him. Renard smiled. He had been concerned the boy wouldn't remember him and that would have made achieving his purpose more challenging. Marie's eyes had narrowed as well, but Renard suspected her mind was more darkly occupied than her nephew's.

"I don't know, do you?" Nick's eyes widened as the Renard's face clicked into place.

"Yeah, you're that police officer that gave that career day presentation a few weeks back!" Kessler's jaw dropped for a split second at the unveiling of Renard's official occupation.

"Police officer?" Renard would be the first to admit that law enforcement wasn't the usual vocation of Princes. Most were CEOs or influential politicians. Renard hadn't ruled out higher office as an ultimate endgame, but for now being a cop was the smartest job choice he could make. Police had access to information he'd never have as a civilian, not to mention it had taught him plenty of useful information regarding how to successfully conceal crimes.

"Guilty as charged." Marie smiled thinly at his pun while Nick chuckled openly.

"Aunt Marie, you should have seen him, he was by far the coolest presenter. He brought in an old case file from fifty years ago and he when through the evidence and interviews and how that case was solved. I told you about this didn't I?" Renard could swear he heard Kessler's teeth grinding.

"I think it's coming back to me. Something about how out of all the students, you were picked as the officer's assistant." Marie's eyes bore into Renard's. He knew the question she must have been telepathically asking: "Was it a coincidence?" The answer was: "Of course not." Renard had proposed to his Captain that they drum up some good PR for the department by speaking at a local high school. He'd offered to be the department's representative. It hadn't been hard to convince his boss. He'd been working for the Portland PD for three years, and had earned himself a reputation for being through, hard-working, and intelligent. Smart money was on him for being the first officer of his class to be promoted to detective. He was an ideal choice to speak to a school full of high school students, young enough to be relatable and old enough to know what he was talking about.

"That's right, you demonstrated the proper way to Mirandize and arrest a suspect." Renard had been schooled from a young age in the art of public speaking and he'd made sure his eyes connected with Nick's routinely throughout his presentation. He'd been pleased to note that boy's focus had never wavered from him. When the time came to choose a volunteer from the audience, Renard's selection had been far from random.

"And the 'suspect' was Mr. O'Bryan, my English teacher, on the charge of assigning too many essays." The prince's attempt to engage his target audience had clearly paid off. The entire auditorium had been echoing with laughter and most importantly Nick had been beaming the entire time he was on stage.

"I didn't realize that was a crime." Kessler's voice was a bit dry as her eyes narrowed on Renard, likely displeased he'd caused her nephew such amusement.

"The students seemed to think it was, and right and wrong are so often in the eyes of the beholder or beholders in this case." He hoped Marie understood his message. She may be believed he'd overstepped their agreement, but they'd never explicitly stated what qualified as 'direct interference'.

"That's an interesting attitude for an officer of the law to take." Her voice definitely retained its edge. Unfortunate, but keeping Marie Kessler happy wasn't one of his prime directives in life.

"Please don't tell my Captain." Nick laughed yet again. The boy at least seemed to enjoy his presence, and that was the crucial thing.

"Don't worry I won't Officer…" Marie may have been unhappy, but at least she appeared willing to maintain their charade for Nick's benefit.

"Renard…Sean Renard…It's nice to meet you, Mrs…"

"Ms. Kessler, Marie Kessler."

"Of course. And you're Nick, yes?"

"Nick Burkhardt. She's my aunt." And thus their fake introductions were completed.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you Officer, but unfortunately we have to go, Nick's meeting his team for some celebratory pizza." Kessler put her hands on Nick's shoulders and practically steered him toward their car. Nick turned his head back to Renard.

"You're welcome to come, Officer Renard." Generous, guileless, and kind-hearted. How would Nick Burkhardt survive this world without him?

"I'm sure Officer Renard has other place he needs to be." Because Nick was looking at Renard, he failed to notice the stare of premeditated violence Marie's eyes seemed to be promising if Renard accepted. She needn't have bothered; he had no intention of competing for Nick's attention in a crowded restaurant.

"Your aunt's right, unfortunately. But thanks for the offer, Nick. Good luck with the rest of your season."

Renard started to walked away, but then stopped and turned, as though a thought had just struck him.

"Oh, Nick, I just remembered. Were you still interested in volunteering at the station over the summer? There are still a couple of slots available." Actually all of the slots were available. He'd accepted dozens of applications on the behalf of the department, but had yet to follow up on any of them. If he could sway Nick into accepting the internship, he'd have to pick one or two others from the stack for the sake of appearances. If not, he'd inform the eager teens the program had been put on hold indefinitely. He had no interest on being shadowed by over-eager teens, at least those who were not Portland's resident Grimm-to-be.

"Definitely, that is if you can convince Aunt Marie to let me do it. I don't she likes the idea of me being around all those guns." Ironic, given that fact Renard strongly suspected the woman had a Glock in her purse that she was itching to point at his head.

"What can I say I want to keep you away from dangerous things you have no idea how to handle." It appeared Renard wasn't the only one who knew how to speak in subtext. Kessler didn't want Nick around him. She feared he'd injure the boy in some way. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"I'm sure it's none of my business, but I can't think of a safer place for Nick to be than around people who DO know how handle dangerous things AND have taken an oath to protect him…and kids just like him." He would guard Nick, with his life if necessary, because that was what he had promised to do.

"You're right, it IS none of your business. Let's go Nick." Kessler clearly wasn't being swayed. He gave it one last parting shot.

"Well, just think about it. This is the kind of thing that looks great on college applications. It's not too early to start thinking about his future." Marie stopped, and looked back over her shoulder. For once she looked uncertain. Renard hadn't known her long, but he expected that emotion was a rarity for here. Kessler clearly wanted to do right by her nephew and he had to make her realize that that mean him.

Renard had to integrate himself into Nick's life now. He needed to form ties that would hold when Nick inherited his family's legacy. One day they would be bound Prince and Grimm, protecting each other, and achieving great things together. It was their destiny. If Renard was certain of anything, he was certain of that.


	6. 1981 (3)

_THUD_. The crossbow's bolt had buried itself deep into the center of the bull-eye.

"Yes! Up top!" Kelly beaming from ear to ear and held out her hand for Sean to high-five. The boy scrutinized her palm as though there was some secret language written on it he was trying to decipher. Kelly rolled her eyes. "Your Highness, we've been over this before: When someone holds their hand out to you like this," Kelly modeled the gesture, "You're supposed to slap it, like this." She took his left hand and bounced it off her right. The contact was so feeble that it made absolutely no sound. Kelly grimaced. "That was pathetic. You've got to put a little more force behind it."

"I asked my etiquette tutor about this 'high-fiving.' He said it was an 'extremely indecorous mannerism of common born Americans, beneath the dignitary of a royal personage.' " Kelly fought the urge to scowl. She had encountered her esteemed colleague, Monsieur St. Just only once, but it had been more than enough to last her a lifetime.

Two weeks ago she'd been invited to a small dinner party hosted by Prince Philippe. She'd been seated to the Prince's left, and he'd keep her engaged in conversation for most of the night. Monsieur St. Just had discreetly sought the Prince out after the meal and expressed his dissatisfaction over the changes His Highness had made to his seating chart. Kelly was not even a member of the aristocracy, let alone of the Royal families and the fact she had sat in a position typically held by a Royal wife had been EXTREMELY inappropriate. He felt it was his duty to inform His Highness it had generated some very imprudent remarks from his other guests.

Thanks to her acute Grimm hearing, Kelly had absorbed ever word of St. Just's speech. Kelly inferred 'imprudent remarks' meant everyone had assumed she was Philippe's lover. Her cheeks had burned with embarrassment, because ever since that first dinner when she'd meet Philippe's two sons, she found herself growing more and more attracted to the worldly prince. She didn't know if the change from fleeting fantasy to powerful crush originated from seeing him in a more intimate environment, or if it was just her natural response to being in such close proximity to an unbelievably gorgeous man. She'd decided take action immediately, before her hormones turned gossip into fact.

After the guests had left she'd told him that while she was grateful for his including her at the gathering, she'd rather avoid any social events in the future. He'd gone quiet for a moment and Kelly had sensed he was angry…no infuriated. For a brief instance she'd almost felt afraid of the volcanic rage she'd sensed within him. Then, suddenly as it had come, it was gone, and charming coaxing had ensued to the vein of how he couldn't possibly enjoy such events without the pleasure of her company. He'd been so persistent that ultimately she'd had no choice, but to confess the reason she wanted to stay away from him.

Like a fairytale, once she'd confessed her feelings for him, he'd declared he felt the same. Still she had tried to resist falling into his arms. Kelly reminded him that although he'd divorced his ex-wife, she was still Eric's and Sean's mother and the boys might not react well to their relationship. Philippe had insisted that everything would be fine, and then kissed her until she was robbed her capacity to reason.

The next morning she'd asked Philippe if they could keep their affair private. She couldn't care less what Eric thought of her, her first impressions having been dead on about the sociopath-in-training, but she did care about what Sean thought.

Most of the time Sean was every inch the prince in training; distance and proud, dignified far beyond his years, but there were moments when she glimpsed something else. When she told a joke, or praised him, or touched his shoulder in affection, occasionally there'd be a crack in the armor. Sometimes she'd see spirit there, a wild playful streak, suffocating under layers of manners. Sometimes she'd see an extremely lonely little boy. It was very likely the loneliness Kelly had fallen for, because she recognized that loneliness in herself. It was the loneliness of being perpetually isolated by who you were.

Before she met Philippe Kelly had given up trying to form new relationships. Friends, boyfriends, they all eventually sensed she was different, that she was hiding things, and then they left. Kelly had resigned herself to the fact the only people in the world who would ever really know and love her were Marie and her father.

Sean, she'd realized was in much the same predicament. Being a Royal was like being a Grimm, in the sense that they had one foot in both worlds, and close friends in neither. Sean was also living at the top of the social pyramid, with few children of equal stature to keep him company. By comparison Kelly was lucky, at least she had Marie. Sean had no one, but Eric.

In comparing fathers, Kelly also had the better end of the deal. Much as she hated to admit it, Philippe was not the father to Sean that he could have been. He loved Sean, undoubtedly, but Kelly noticed he rarely had time for either of his sons. When they were all together, Philippe reserved his praise and approval for Eric and Sean typically received his criticism. She often longed to say something about it to him, but she didn't know how without overstepping her bounds. It wasn't really her place as Sean's tutor to criticize Philippe's parenting, particularly when she'd never raised a child herself. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't infuse a little fun and lightness into his life wherever she could.

"Your Highness, we are not at a state dinner, or a ball, or any other kind of Royal function. We are on your father's private estate, and as far as I can see, there is nobody else around. Now, it's your turn."

"Very well," sighed the boy wearily, extending his arm as palm up. Kelly rolled her eyes and swung her hand down to return the slap. With the speed of a cobra, Sean jerked his hand back at the last instant, leaving Kelly to hit nothing but air. He grinned like an imp, his sober air vanishing in a blink. "Too slow."

"You royal brat! You were messing with me!" Despite her name calling Kelly couldn't have been more thrilled. He'd played a joke on her, a small one it was true, but a joke, none the less.

"I'm sorry, Mademoiselle Kessler, I don't know what is means this 'messing with'." Kelly snorted in response.

"It means, little scamp, that you made your teacher look silly and she is going to return the favor." Before Sean could dodge, Kelly's hand shot out and ruffled his hair. She giggled as the boy's hands frantically tried to straighten the mess she'd made. He had no idea that he was actually making it worse. Sean shot her a look that was so like father's that her laughter re-doubled. "Calm down, Prince Charming, it's not that bad. Cinderella will still think you're cute." Sean paused a moment to stare at Kelly, clearly bewildered.

"Who?"

"All the horrible Grimm fairytales I'm sure you've heard and no one ever told you about Cinderella?" Sean shook his head, his hair momentarily forgotten, waiting instead for Kelly to continue. "It's a story about this girl who has this really horrible family, but one day she meets this Prince, Prince Charming, and he loves her and she loves him and they run off and live happily ever after together." Kelly felt she'd covered all the high points, though a few details may have eluded her.

"That's a Grimm fairytale?" Sean sounded skeptical, not doubt off put by the lack of gore.

"I think in the Grimm version, the Prince executes the step-sisters for tricking him into thinking they were Cinderella, but the principle story remains the same." Sean cocked his head to the side.

"I thought Grimm fairytales were all warnings? What's the warning of that story?" Kelly considered the tale from the perspective of a Grimm. There were no obvious Wesen, so why had her ancestors recorded this story?

"I don't know. 'Your family doesn't always have you best interests at heart' or 'Don't try to trick Princes, because they might have you executed?'?" Sean laughed. It was a joyful sound, made all the more precious by its rarity.

"The second one." Of course, as a Prince, he would appreciate that one. Sean, for the moment at least, was as smiling and happy as any other eight-year-old boy. It wasn't right, the weight of Sean's life, how the few people who occupied it seemed to take him for granted. Once again she reached for the top of his head, slowly this time, giving Sean plenty of opportunity to step back. He didn't move. She lightly brushed his hair back into its proper place.

"How about this, it's not a warning, it's a lesson: 'No matter how badly people treat you, you deserve love, and one day you'll find it.'" She finished smoothing and stepped back, still smiling at him. One thing was certain, whatever she felt about Philippe, her love for his youngest son was stronger.

"I prefer the one about the executions." Sean's face closed faster than a slammed door. Kelly forced a smile and turned to face the interloper.

"I would expect nothing else from you, Prince Eric."


	7. 1981 (4)

"Your Highness, to what do I owe the honor?" Kelly worked with each boy 3 hours a day per their father's instruction. She saw Eric every morning from 8am to 11am, then came a three hours break, which she typically spent eating lunch, caring for her weapons, and/or completely her own exercise regime. At 2pm she met Sean at the archery range Philippe had had built specifically for their use.

"I wanted to work with you some more on my swordsmanship. You said I was making such excellent progress and I don't want to lose momentum." Kelly didn't recall ever using the word 'excellent' to describe anything that Eric did, but then her memory seem to constantly be repressing chucks of those three hour blocks. It was probably her unconscious mind trying to preserve her sanity.

"I'm glad you feel such enthusiasm for the weapon, but I have Grimm business in the city tonight. Perhaps tomorrow." Or perhaps not. Kelly could think of any number of things she'd rather do than spend more time with Prince Eric. Fighting a Blutbad armed with nothing more than tooth pick and a red M&M came to mind.

"Why not now?" Kelly raised an eyebrow, unsure if he was kidding or not. He was totally straight-faced.

"Because I am in the middle of your brother's training, which you are, unfortunately, interrupting."

"Sean's played enough with the little stick shooter for today, haven't you, Sean?" Prince Eric's eyes swung to rest scornfully on his younger brother. This was the main reason Kelly found Eric's presence so hard to stomach. He wasn't just an arrogant little shit, he was also cruel. Eric's main goal in life seemed to be making Sean as miserable as possible.

"First, it is not for the student to decide when and for how long their lessons should last. Second, a crossbow is not a toy, it is a deadly weapon. Sean doesn't play with the crossbow, he wields it, very impressively actually, especially considering his age. I didn't achieve his level of competency until I was thirteen. " When Kelly's father first began her training at the age of eleven, Kelly had taken to many of the weapons with ease. The crossbow had not been one of them. Her father had often informed her mastery of the weapon required patience and self-control and she was sorely lacking in both.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating. How difficult could it be point at something and squeeze a trigger?" Kelly sincerely hoped the day Philippe bought his elder son a gun was very, very far off. Perhaps it was time to knock His Royal Highness down a peg.

"Let's find out. Sean, would you please pass me the crossbow and retrieve your bolts?" Sean complied, handing her the weapon and jogging off toward the target. Kelly smiled pleasantly at Eric. "You will shoot three bolts and then your brother will shoot three bolts. Closest to the bull's-eye is the winner. If you win Eric, you may choose any weapon from my personal armory to keep as your own. If Sean wins, you will apologize to him and clean his weapons for a week. Do we have a bet?" For a moment an expression of uncertainty wavered on Eric's face. It was the first time Kelly had seen him demonstrate anything resembling common sense. Still she knew his pride would not let him refuse.

"Of course. I only hope you're not too fond of the sword my father gave you."

"I am fond of it, but not so fond that I would break my word to keep it. Eric, you will be shooting first." Kelly placed the crossbow on the built-in stirrup, resting it on the ground. She slid her foot in the stirrup and carefully pulled the bowstring toward the cocking mechanism with a steady pressure. The grimm held the string while setting it into the cocking mechanism. A click confirmed it was secure. She place a black bolt in the designated slot and carefully presented the weapon to Eric. "You're going to want to use your left arm to hold it steady by placing it underneath. Your right hand goes on the trig-"

Eric brusquely cut her off, "I do not require your assistance."

"As you wish." Eric raised the bow, quickly took aim, pulled the trigger, and jumped at the sudden jolt. His shot sailed over the target by a solid foot. Kelly kept her face carefully blank as she took the crossbow back from Eric, reloaded it, and returned it to the red-faced prince. His second shot was closer, burying itself in the hay, only an inch outside the outer circle. The Grimm readied the final bolt and watched Eric prepare to shoot. He was at least taking his time aiming and had instinctively flexed his muscles to minimize the recoil. He hadn't, however realized his shot would be more accurate if her extended his arms more. This time, the arrow buried itself in the blue of the target, about midway between the outer ring and the bull's-eye. Eric smiled smugly. Kelly politely smiled back and then handed a blue bolt and the bow to Sean.

Sean followed the proper loading procedure to the letter. He then took aim at his target. He flexed his muscles, extended his arms, inhaled deeply and squeezed the trigger on the exhale. Dead Center. The disbelief on Eric's face was priceless. Kelly wanted to grab Sean in a bear hug and swing him around in celebration. Fortunately she managed to control herself.

"Thank you, Prince Sean, I think that was all we needed. Prince Eric was there something you'd like to say to your brother?" Kelly could swear she could actually hear Eric grinding his molars. Finally he pulled his teeth apart with such difficulty one might have thought he'd been chewing peanut brittle.

"I apologize for interrupting your lesson and slighting your weapon of choice. Good evening." Eric bowed stiffly, then turned and marched away. If he had been a cartoon, steam would have been coming out of his ears.

Kelly waited until Eric was out of sight before bursting into a fit of laughter. Sean, however, was not equally amused. He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You should not have done that. You do not want Eric as your enemy." She was touched at his concern, even if it was a little misplaced.

"I make my living hunting down the things most people only see in their nightmares. Do you really think I should be scared of a twelve-year-old?"

"He is a Prince and he will not always be twelve." There had were some days Kelly had a hard time believing Sean was really only eight. He probably had a better grasp of politics than she did, and he had a hell of a lot more self-control. Still, Kelly was determined not to let the future heir apparent to the House of Bourban ruin her mood.

"You're right. If he's like this now, imagine what he'll be like as a teenager. THE HORROR! THE HORROR!" Kelly curled her fingers and stuck her hands out in front of her, lumbering like a B-movie zombie. If she'd been hoping for another laugh, she'd been sorely disappointed.

"Kelly, I am serious." She dropped her arms without thinking about it. It was first time he had called her Kelly. Had it been an unconscious decision or was it deliberate to get her to listen to him. Either way he deserved a serious answer.

"Sean, Eric is a bully, and if you don't stand up to bullies, they will keep coming back for more." She hadn't been just giving in to a childish impulse, she been trying to change the status quo, which currently sucked.

"You hurt his pride. He won't forgive you for that. Ever. You shouldn't have made that bet with him." Maybe it had been ill-advised, but she was so sick of watching that smug little creep trample all over Sean, while nobody said anything.

"He needs to treat you with respect. I thought this might be a good way to teach him that." Whether or not that was the lesson he learned remained to be seen.

"What if I lost? I only hit the bull's-eye one out of ten times, whatever you let him think." Was that what Sean was worried about, that she's risked her possessions betting on him?

"I knew you wouldn't. You're what we call state-side, 'a pressure player'."

"What does that mean?" Sean's forehead wrinkled at the unfamiliar phrase.

"You perform better under stress. You can't tell me you didn't enjoy watching Eric's jaw drop like that." Kelly could see Sean wrestle to keep the corners of his mouth from turning upward at the memory.

"You still shouldn't have done it." God, the boy was stubborn. Kelly strugged.

"We'll have to agree to disagree on that." Kelly heard a throat clear behind her. She turned and saw a girl, perhaps eighteen years old in a servant's uniform standing behind them. She bobbed a curtsy, then stood straight.

"Excuse me, Ms. Kessler. His Highness requests an immediate audience." Philippe was summoning her in the middle of Sean's lesson? Whatever for?

"Now?" she asked to clarify. The girl nodded. Kelly frowned and looked up at the sky. She wasn't happy that Sean was getting shorted on his alotted practice time, but the weather would have prevented them from continuing much longer anyway. The sky was beginning to darken with grey storm clouds."Alright, just give me a few minutes to pick up our equipment."

"He was insistent you come right away." The girl sounded positively alarmed that Kelly was considering making the prince wait for a second longer than was absolutely necessary. Kelly however was doubtful that whatever Philippe had to say to her couldn't wait five minutes.

"It's going to rain. I'm not going to let perfect good weapons rust just so-" Sean interrupted her, which was atypical of him.

"I will put them away. You don't want to keep Prince Philippe waiting." Kelly raised her eyebrows. The prince was actually volunteering to pick up after himself? Would the wonders never cease?

"Thank you, Prince Sean."

Kelly's mind was racing as she followed the maid up through the castle's entrance and up the main stairway. What did the Prince want with her that couldn't be delayed?

They bustled down a corridor and up another flight of stairs. Had there been a Wesen attack? It had been quiet lately. More hallways and staircases flew past as she considered other possibilities. Another assassin possibly? Or had Prince Eric simple been tattling to Daddy? Prince Eric. His Highness. Kelly stopped dead in her tracks, a horrible possibility striking her. The servant continued to climb up the forth staircase they had climbed in the pass ten minutes.

"Which His Highness?" The girl paused on the eleventh step and then turned slowly.

"What do you mean, Miss?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Kelly's instincts screamed, but she willed herself to remain calm.

"You said 'His Highness' wanted to see me and I automatically assumed you meant His Highness, Prince Philippe, but it wasn't Prince Philippe, was it?" The girl trembled and woged under the cold fury of Kelly's glare. An cowardly Eisbieber. What a cliché.

"Please Miss, I only do as I'm told…" That scheming little viper. Kelly turned on her heel and sprinted down the steps two at time, praying to God she wasn't too late.

When she reached the archery range, she found it empty and abandoned. Crossbow, bolts and target were gone. Sean must have already taken them to the armory. Within twenty seconds she was outside the door. Already she could hear sounds of a struggle within.

She yanked the door open and saw Eric swinging a sword at Sean's head, her sword. Sean, eyes widened with fear, raised a staff just in time to block the blow. Metal bit into wood and Eric laughed. He laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world that three inches of Oak was all that stopped him from decapitating his brother.

Eric jerked the sword back and this time, raised the weapon up over his head. It was all the opening Kelly needed. She crossed the room in less than two seconds, and put her hands on the hilt and yanked it out of Eric's hands. As soon as the sword was completely in her control she kicked the legs out from under the older prince.

"You! I'll have you-" Eric sputtered from his back. Kelly silenced him by putting the tip of her sword under his chin.

"A little advice, Your Highness. Don't threaten your opponent while they have a blade to your throat. Now what the hell, did you think you were doing?" Eric glared another moment and then schooled his features into an innocent grin. That expression on face of that monster was obscene.

"He was so kind demonstrating to me what he had learned from you, I simply wanted to return the favor." He was being flippant about nearly murdering his brother. She had a sword five inches from his throat and he was acting as if what she thought was irrelevant. No mattered to Eric, but Eric. He thought he was untouchable.

"I going to pass on a little wisdom my father taught me when I was your age. It is not the skills you learn that define you, but how you use them." Kelly pressed slowly moved her blade, until the metal tip was kissing Eric's throat. His eyes widened. "You have taken what I've taught you and used it to torment your younger brother. You have proven that you are nothing but a bully and a coward. I should carve those words right here so the world will forever know just was you are." A bead of sweat formed on Eric's forehead. She let him stew in his fear for ten seconds before lowering her blade. "You are no longer my student. Now get out of my sight!" Eric scampered back and pushed himself to his feet. With a final look of utter loathing at her and Sean he turned and ran like the coward she knew him to be.

"I told you before, you shouldn't have hurt his pride and now you just made everything worse." Sean's angry voice took her completely by surprise. In her fury at Eric, she had completely forget about him. He was still holding the bo staff he must have grabbed from the wall when Eric attacked him. What was surprising is that the glare he usually reserved for his brother was being directed at her.

"Sean, he could have seriously hurt you!" Kelly couldn't understand what she had done wrong. Yes, she may have pushed Eric's buttons a bit, but she'd had no way of knowing it would bring out this kind of reaction. As far as what she'd done when she'd seen Eric swing the sword at Sean, she haven't done much thinking. Her reaction had been purely instinctive.

"I could have taken care of it myself." Sean seemed to believe there was something shameful about ever needing help. Who had taught this boy that he had to face everything life threw at him alone? She noticed the sleeve of his short had blood on it.

"Sean, you're bleeding." This was the first time she could put her Nursing degree to use for someone's benefit outside her own family. She reached out her hand to inspect the wound, but to her surprise Sean jerked his arm away.

"Don't touch me, Grimm!" He dropped the staff and blew past her out of the armory door. In her shock, Kelly didn't move to stop him. Sean had never used that tone with her before and he had certainly never called her Grimm like it was a derogatory slurs. She tried to tell herself that Eric wasn't the only prince with a freshly wounded pride and he was probably striking out at random. Still she was amazed at how much it hurt.

Kelly sighed and slowly, but deliberately trudged back to the castle. Sean needed time to cool down and she and Philippe had things they needed to discuss.


	8. 1981 (5)

Kelly took deep calming breaths as she approached the door to Prince Philippe's study. He would not be pleased at her interruption and less so by the reason for it. The last thing she needed was to lose her temper. She knocked twice on the oak door.

"Enter," a strong voice commanded. Kelly pushed the door open. Philippe was sitting behind his polished mahogany desk, which was covered, as usual with neat stacks of paper. She was struck, as she always was whenever she saw him, by how incredibly handsome he was. His dark brown hair lay smooth on his head. His eyes, which at the moment were regarding her sternly, were the deepest chocolate she'd ever scene. His nose was strong and aristocratic, just like she imagined Sean's would be when he grew-up. Sean. The reason she was here.

Kelly shook herself slightly. This wasn't the time for ogling; she had more important things to worry about. She suddenly became aware there was someone else in the room. Eric stood beside his desk wearing a smug expression.

"That will be all, Eric." Eric's smirk faltered as he turned to his father.

"But I want-" Philippe cut him off with a sharp look.

"You are dismissed." Eric swallowed, bowed and brushed past Kelly without a word. Philippe waited until the door had closed before addressing Kelly.

"Did you threaten my son's life?" His voice was even, and unemotional. He might have been inquiring whether or not it was raining outside.

"No." Kelly scrutinized Philippe's features, trying to deduce whether or not his calm demeanor was genuine. She'd learned enough about royalty to know what you saw wasn't always what you got.

"No? He claims you held a sword to his throat." She wouldn't argue with that fact.

"Yes, but I didn't threaten his life, I threatened to carve the words, "Coward" and "Bully" into his neck." Philippe's eyes narrowed at Kelly's distinction. Inwardly she cringed at his displeasure, but outwardly she didn't flinch. She couldn't let her affection for Philippe affect her duty to Sean.

"This isn't a moment for levity, Kelly." If Philippe was expecting contrition from her, he was going to be very disappointed. Her response was completely proportional to Eric's offense.

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" Sean had nearly been killed, and the only joke was how little his father seemed to care. No, that was unfair. Philippe must not have had a clear understanding of what had happened and it was up to her to enlighten him.

"Do know what the penalty is for threatening the life of a Royal?" Whatever it was it didn't apply to her. Eric's life had never been in danger. Even in her fury, her intention had never been to harm him. She'd wanted to remind Eric that he wasn't invulnerable, that Prince though he may be, his actions had consequences. She'd wanted to scare him so much that he'd never touch his brother again.

"Does Eric? Did he happen to mention why I was holding a blade to his throat." Had that little detail been omitted from Eric's tattling?

"He said he and Sean were practicing with their weapons and you burst in and tried to murder him." That was some interesting revisionist history. No wonder Philippe was siding with Eric.

"Really? And what does Sean say?" Philippe didn't just have to take her at her word, although given their relationship that would have been nice. His other son could testify on both of their behalves.

"Nothing. I haven't spoken to him yet." Of course not. She'd been an idiot to even consider it. Sean would probably bite off his own tongue before asking his father to help him.

"Forget it. There's probably no point in asking. He'll just tell you the exact same thing, and then they'd both be liars."

"Tread very carefully, Kelly." She felt a strong compulsion to stop, to apologize, to do whatever she had to do to earn back Philippe's approval. Something inside her was telling that nothing was worth risking his regard.

The moment that thought floated across her brain, something volatile burst inside her. Nothing was worth losing Philippe? Nothing? Was that really what Sean's life meant to her? Nothing?!

"No, I'm done treading carefully! Eric almost killed Sean!" This wasn't harmless rough housing, this was premeditated attempted murder.

"Are you sure you didn't misinterpret what you saw?" Kelly snorted in disbelief.

"How would you interpret Eric swinging a sharpened sword at his brother's head? The only reason Eric isn't an only child at this moment is that Sean has managed to defend himself long enough for me to get there." Sean had done well, Kelly suddenly realized, although she'd been too enraged at the time to realize it. Not every eight-year-old could have held off a twelve-year-old, especially one with basic weapons training. He obviously had excellent survival instincts. Still, he shouldn't need to use them protecting himself from members of his own family.

"Eric and Sean are brothers and princes, and a certain amount of rivalry is to be expected between them. Your interference was overzealous, but I understand it stemmed from your affection for Sean, and as such I'm willing to put this whole incident behind us." Prince Philippe hadn't demonstrated a sense of humor in the months she'd known him, but Kelly hoped this was its first appearance. Overzealous? Stopping one of his sons from killing the other was "Over-zealous"?

"So that's it? That's your reaction? 'Boys will be boys'?" The voice inside her head insisting she stop was growing louder and louder, but Kelly suddenly found it extremely easy to ignore. There no excuse for Philippe's behavior. None. He was fully aware of the seriousness of what had transpired and he was still going let Eric off the hook without so much as a wrist slap.

"Kelly," There was a note of warning in Philippe's tone, but Kelly was too furious to care.

"No. This is outrageous. No wonder Sean hasn't come in here to tell you he was nearly murdered. Unlike me, he's smart enough to realize that you don't give a shit." No wonder Sean reacted that way he did! Philippe's action had made it abundantly clear where his priority lay.

"You'd do well to reconsider your words." Philippe's voice had gotten dangerously cold, but Kelly welcomed the anger. At least it meant he was actually listening to her.

"And you'd do well to reconsider YOUR BLIND FAVORTISM OF YOUR ELDER SON! Sean nearly loses his head, and you couldn't care less, but GOD FORBIDE Eric pulls a muscle while swinging the sword!" She was a Grimm. Her perception and instincts were supposed to be nearly infallible. How had she been so blind that she hadn't seen Philippe's callousness toward Sean? The answer was, of course, that she had, but she'd chosen to ignore it. She'd made excuses because she hadn't wanted to believe the man she was falling in love with could be so cold to his own son.

"You're hardly one to lecture about preferential treatment. You've doted on Sean from the first moment you've laid eyes on him." Kelly paused to consider his accusation. She had liked Sean from the moment he'd stepped out from behind that curtain. She'd had an instinct about him, and as a Grimm she'd learned her gut feelings were not things to be ignored. When she met Eric, she received the opposite sensation. Had that colored her behavior toward each of the boys? Possibly, but their actions since that first day had proven her instincts to be 100% accurate. Preferring Sean over Eric was just plain common sense.

"Because he is bright, tough, and he has a good heart, even if he does try to hide it. He works so hard to earn your approval and you have nothing, but harsh words for him. You clearly don't care about his happiness or welfare. I understand that Eric is your son, but SO IS SEAN. If you can't see that, then you are not someone I care to know…professionally or otherwise. Please consider this my resignation." Kelly spun and strode toward the office door, all too aware she was giving up both the best paying job she was ever likely to get and the man who might have been the love of her life. It didn't matter. If she said nothing, if she allowed Sean to go un-avenged, then she couldn't have lived with herself.

"They are Princes first." Philippe's voice stopped her from twisting the door knob currently in her hand.

"Excuse me?" Despite herself she was curious about what he had to say.

"Eric and Sean. They are my children, but they are Princes first. My first duty is to prepare them for the life that lies ahead of them.

You think I'm harsh and unfeeling when it comes to Sean. You think I don't see his potential? You're wrong," Philippe looked away from Kelly, and out the window. Kelly looked as well, and was shocked to discover she could see the archery range through the glass. Had Philippe built Sean's training area there deliberately, so he could keep an eye on him?

"Eric is intelligent, decisive, ruthless and cunning," Philippe continued, "Once he masters self-control, and rids himself of his spitefulness, he will make a formidable Prince," the prince paused and looked back at Kelly, "Sean is something else entirely. Where his brother is intelligent, Sean is brilliant. He is patient, resourceful, and driven by a hunger that Eric will never know.

My canton will one day flourish under Eric's rule. He is my heir and that will never change. However, it is my belief that Sean is the one that will one day change the face of the world." Kelly realized her jaw was slightly hanging open and promptly closed it. She had absolutely no idea how to react. Everything she thought she had understood about Philippe's feelings toward his sons had just been turned on its head. She struggled to articulate something resembling a coherent response.

"Then why not encourage him?" If Philippe was so convinced that Sean was destined for greatness, then why did he treat him like he was nothing?

"I am encouraging him. With every slight and cold word, I make him that much stronger, that much more determined to prove me wrong." Kelly was having trouble wrapping her head around Philippe's reasoning.

"You're being cruel to be kind?" Whatever happened to supporting children by telling them "Good job!" or "You can do it!"

"I'm being cruel, so Sean will be accustomed to it. I treat my sons differently because the world will treat my sons differently." Once again Kelly was confused.

"Why? Because Eric's the heir and Sean's the spare?" Did the fact that Sean was the younger son make him somehow lesser in the eyes of the other Families? There was so much about Royals she just did not understand. Maybe it was because she was American.

"Among other things. Now that I've explained myself, will you reconsider your resignation?" Kelly hesitated. Though she didn't necessarily agree with Philippe's approach to parenting, now that she understood his motives, his methods seemed less objectionable. She didn't really want to leave her job or Philippe. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving Sean. Still if she was going to stay, it could only be under certain conditions.

"You have to promise me Eric won't come anywhere near Sean."

"Very well. I'll send Eric to visit his mother for the remainder of the summer. Hopefully both boys will benefit from the time apart. Will that suffice?" It wasn't perfect, but it was probably the best offer she would get.

"Yes. Thank you." Kelly sighed, relieved that Sean was safe, at least for the most.

"You really are fond of Sean, aren't you?" Philippe tilted his head slightly to the right, as though he found her affection for his son both peculiar and rather amusing. Kelly blushed, something no self-respecting Grimm should ever do.

"He's a really good kid. You're lucky to have him." Kelly now knew that Philippe saw Sean as an exceptional prince-in-training. She just hoped he was as aware how fortunate he was to have him for a son.

"If you keep talking this way, it might me jealous." Philippe's tone had taken on a distinctly flirtatious quality. Kelly's cheeks reddened a little more, embarrassed at how her heartbeat quickened at his words.

"I thought jealousy was beneath the dignity of a Prince." Philippe rose from behind his desk, sauntered over, and wrapped his arms around her.

"In public perhaps, but there are many things unbefitting a Prince in public, that he might do in private." Smiling his cocky grin, Philippe leaned down and kissed her. Kelly marveled at the power that Philippe's lips seemed to have over her. Less than two minutes she had been ready to leave him, but in this moment Kelly couldn't imagine how she could ever have thought such a thing. She needed to be here with him, always and forever.

Kelly was so absorbed by Philippe that, despite her acute hearing, she didn't notice the sound of a peephole sliding back into place. In a passage hidden behind the office's inner wall, Sean leaned against the brick wall, contemplating everything he had just witnessed.


	9. 1981 (6)

Nicole was staring at her reflection in the vanity mirror when Sean slipped into her boudoir. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for her to notice him. He knew from experience it could be a few minutes.

He studied her as she studied herself. Her sleek black hair was done up in an elaborate style with a jeweled comb as the centerpiece. Her skin was pale and flawless; her nails were meticulously manicured and painted crimson to match her gown. Make-up highlighted classically beautiful features. The only thing ruining the image was her lips, which were pursed in displeasure. Finally Nicole's emerald eyes caught sight of her son's reflection. She spun in her chair to look at him.

"Well?" she snapped, as though he was one to keep her waiting.

"The Prince is sending Eric to Victoria for the remainder of the summer. The Grimm insisted." Sean had run to his mother's room the moment he left the armory. She'd listened to what had happened and then sent him to spy on his father. She'd said they needed to know how Philippe would react, so they could plan their next move.

"Excellent. We couldn't ask for a better opportunity for you to re-earn his favor." A satisfied smile spread across Nicole's feature as she appraised her son.

"How?" Nicole rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror. She picked up her eyebrow pencil.

"The Grimm has obviously taken a liking to you. She must have to confront Philippe in this manner," Nicole stopped applying make-up to and frowned, "In fact she shouldn't have been able to…I may need to adjust her doses." She shook her head and continued tracing the arc of her brow.

"Her doses?" Sean narrowed his eyes at his mother, but she kept hers glued to her own reflection.

"Never mind, you only need to focus on your end, which is helping the Prince get whatever he wants with her."

"What does he want with her?" Sean knew it was risky asking questions. He never knew exactly what would spark her temper, and an angry Nicole was not a pretty sight. Still, this was probably the first and last opportunity he'd have to learn what his father had planned for his tutor.

"Apart from what I've ensured he's already getting?" Nicole flashed her most dazzling smile at her reflection before continuing, "Grimms are always valuable to the Families. Apart from simply being status symbols, they discourage any Wesen in the canton from rising above their stations. They can also make invaluable assassins, although Philippe has plenty of those already." Nicole paused while she freshened her lipstick.

"There is also the possibility this Grimm or other members of her family are in possession of one or more objects of power. Encourage her to talk about her family, and her life before she came to Europe. With her guard down she might slip and reveal something useful."

"You want me to spy on her." Sean's tone prompted Nicole to turn her attention back to him, her perfectly plucked eyebrows raised.

"Is that distaste I detect in your voice, my son?" Nicole only ever referred to him as 'her son' when he was in trouble. Sean knew he should tread carefully, but the day he'd had left him feeling a little more reckless than usual. He raised his chin defiantly.

"I am a Prince, not a sneak thief." His mother laughed drily at Sean's assertion. Her eyes traveled down the length of his pants, which were still dirty from his travels in the castle's hidden passages. Sean's cheeks burned, but he didn't look away. She rose from her chair, and looked down her nose at him.

"You are a Prince only so long as Philippe says you are. The moment he decides you have no value to him, you will be nothing more than a half-breed bastard. Never forget how precarious our position is. Prince Philippe was not happy when he learned the truth about us, and need I remind you, that was entirely your fault." At last Sean broke her gaze. He couldn't help himself. Nicole was right, it was his fault their secret had been exposed.

He'd live alone with his mother in the large house his father had purchased for them until he was six years old. The only visitors besides the Prince had been his mother's customers, and they had been few a far between. Nicole had only dared to do business when she'd been certain Philippe was out of the country. She had him under a powerful Zabertrunk at the time and he had no idea she was a Hexenbiest.

When Philippe felt it was time for Sean to be sent to bordering school, he had summoned Sean and Nicole to the Chateau. Nicole had been nervous, and rightly so. She had been trying to teach Sean to control his Wogue since before he could walk, but he hadn't been ready for Eric.

Prince Philippe had put both boys in a room together and left them alone "To get acquainted". In less than five minutes Nicole and Philippe had heard loud noises from the room and returned to witness a fight well underway.

Within ten seconds of their father's leaving the room Eric had started in on Sean. It had begun with simple name-calling and when that hadn't gotten a rise out of Sean, Eric had started pushing him, little shoves at first, but then harder and harder. Finally Sean had fallen and landed hard on his back. Eric had laughed, until Sean had jumped up and rammed his head into his gut.

Philippe and Nicole had burst in on Eric pinning his half-brother to the ground. Sean's tiny fists had whacked ever available part of Eric, but the older boy seemed not to feel them. Eric had wound up to deliver a punch and Sean, acting on instinct, had woged. Eric had flown back in terror when he'd seen Sean's face. Sean victory was short-lived.

Nicole had barely managed to keep Philippe from killing her on the spot. Fortunately for her and her son, she was a convincing negotiator. Nicole told Philippe about the Zabertrunk and said that if he executed her he would spend the following months slipping into a deep depression over her death. Eventually, she'd told him, his sorrow would become so extreme that he'd be unable to move or eat without assistance. Philippe had found her argument quite persuasive and once his anger had cooled, he'd expressed admiration for her audacity. He'd ordered his elder son to keep Sean's secret and hired Nicole as his primary Hexenbiest consultant. He also continued to visit her for more private meetings from time to time. Tonight was meant to be one of those nights, hence Nicole's formal attire. Although Nicole congratulated herself on her salvaging a disastrous situation, she was constantly reminding Sean how quickly things could turn sour.

"Philippe will continue to be our benefactor, only so long as we remain useful. People don't give something for nothing. There's always a price. I would therefore suggest you adopt a less lofty attitude."

Sean was so sick of hearing it. Prince. Bastard. Royal. Hexenbiest. Exceptional. Worthless. Round and round it went. He was never just Sean, not with Philippe, not with Nicole, not with the servants, not with anyone. At least he hadn't been until he met Kelly. Ever since that first night he'd known she was different from anyone he'd ever met. She hadn't been what he'd expected at all.

When he was little Nicole had often told him that if he didn't behave as she'd asked, a Grimm would come and chop off his head. He'd always imagined them to be the scariest monsters he could dream up: hulking giants with red eyes and axes.

When Eric had taunted Sean that their father had summoned a Grimm to decapitate him, he'd snuck downstairs to catch a glimpse of his worst nightmare. Only she hadn't been a nightmare, she'd been a pretty young woman. Not only had she not tried to kill him, but she'd lied to keep him from getting into trouble. He had been certain that at some point she'd trade on the favor, but she hadn't. She laughed with him, talked with him, told him stories, praised him, and defended him and asked nothing in return. His mother claimed 'people' didn't give something for nothing, and maybe 'people' didn't, but Kelly did. He wasn't going to repay her by spying on her every move.

"I can prove my worth in other ways." Quick as lightning Nicole grabbed his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"It's the Grimm, isn't it? It wasn't the spying you were objecting to; you don't want to spy on the Grimm." Her blood red lips curled into a sneer, as though the word 'Grimm' had a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Her name is Kelly." Nicole's face darkened omniously and she clamped her hands on his shoulders. She shook him roughly.

"I don't care what her name is! Whatever foolish affection you might harbor for her in the weak little heart of yours, crush it now, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? To think any son of mine would show loyalty to a Grimm-" Sean grabbed her wrists and flung them off.

"She protected me! She defended me; to Eric to Philippe-" Nicole slapped him hard across his left check, then she raised her hand and did it again. SLAP. SLAP. On the forth strike Sean woged and the second he did Nicole grabbed him and spun him to face the mirror on her dresser.

"Look at yourself. LOOK." She held his cheeks so he had no choice, but to look at his reflection. The horrible corpse flesh slashed across his face like an ugly rash of decay. "You see that face? Do you think anyone could love that face? Do you think your precious Grimm could? Of course not. She thinks you're a Prince, but we both know better. You are a Hexenbiest, just like me, and we aren't loveable. She is a GRIMM and she wouldn't hesitant to cut off your head if she knew what you were. Never forget that." Sean struggled in his mother's arms, but she held him fast. He'd never escape her, just as he would never escape his own hideous reflection. Would Kelly still like him if she knew the truth? Would she still ruffle his hair or offer him high-fives or even smile at him? He didn't know, he just didn't know.


	10. 1981 (7)

The door to Sean's bedroom was ajar. Kelly nudged it open. The room was covered in red and gold fabrics, from the bedspread on the four-poster, to the curtains that were only partially concealing the boy sitting on the window seat.

"Sean, can I come in?" Sean didn't react to her voice; he just kept staring out the window, watching the drops of water beat against glass. The prince's legs were pulled into his chest, and his arms were wrapped around his shins. Kelly could see the dried blood stain on his sleeve. She crossed the Oriental rug and sat beside him.

"I need to look at your cut." Kelly set down the medical supplies she'd brought with her. She didn't think the injury was too serious, given the amount of blood that had dried on the cloth, but any cut could turn serious if it got infected. Sean finally turned to look at her.

"What do you want, Kelly?" The odd question caught her off guard.

"I want you to pull up your sleeve." She waited for him to comply, but he just frowned and shook his head.

"No, I mean what do you want from me?"

"Excuse me?" Had she misheard him?

"The night we met you lied to Prince Philippe for me. Today you made an enemy of Eric over me. I don't know what you could want that I have and they don't." Kelly opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. How was she supposed to answer a question like that? Sean seemed genuinely confused by her behavior, like it was impossible for him to believe she'd helped without agenda.

"You think the reason I take your side is because I want something from you?" Kelly couldn't believe an eight-year-old could be this cynical.

"'People don't give something for nothing. There's always a price.'" The words sounded rehearsed, as though he was quoting someone, rather than speaking for himself.

"Did your father teach you that?" Was this what Philippe had meant when he spoke of preparing his sons to be Princes? Was he teaching them to suspect the motives of everyone they met? Was he telling them that every act of kindness was calculated?

"No, not Prince Philippe." Who else was important enough to Sean that he'd recite their instruction?

"Your mother?" Kelly held her breath as she waited for him to respond. It was probably a sensitive topic, given the divorce. As far as Kelly could deduce, the boys spend every vacation with their father. When, if ever, did they see their mother?

"Yes." Sean didn't elaborate further. Kelly decided to try again. It wasn't just Kelly's own curiosity, or her desire to know more about Sean. The more she learned about the prince's life, the more she realized how isolated he was. She wasn't a child psychologist, but even she knew it couldn't be good for him. She wanted him to know that if he wanted to talk, she would listen.

"It's funny, I've been here almost two months, this is the first time I've heard either you or Eric mention her. I know you two attend boardering school. Does she come and visit you there?" Sean stared at Kelly for a full twenty seconds before looking out of the window again.

"I don't want to talk about her." Kelly nodded. If he didn't want to discuss what was probably a painful topic, she wouldn't press him.

"Understood." They sat, watching the rain together. There was something hypnotic about the beads of water pattering against the pane. She didn't know how many minutes passed before Sean spoke again.

"What was your mother like?" Kelly shook her head, coming out her daze. Her mother? That was something she hadn't thought about in a long time. It was an unusually personal question for Sean to ask, but turnabout was fair play.

"I don't remember much about her. She was killed by a Reaper when I was four. The closest thing I have is my sister, Marie." What would Marie have been like if their mother had lived? Would she have been less serious, less severe? Kelly had always tugged at the leash Marie tried to keep on her. She sometimes resented her sister at for bossing her around, setting rules and boundaries. She rarely considered what Marie had sacrificed in order to take care of her.

"What's she like?" Kelly unconsciously ran a hand through her hair. How did could she describe Marie. What words could capture the person who'd taught her everything from how to tie her shoelaces to how to properly deliver a round house kick.

"Marie is 24 going on 40. She's really responsible and a fierce fighter. She's protective and loyal. She's the best sister in the world." Saying the words, Kelly suddenly felt choked up. It had been six days since she'd last called home. When Kelly had told her sister about her arrangement with Philippe, it had not gone over well. There had been a lot of screaming on both sides of the telephone.

Marie said she was being reckless, getting into bed both literally and figuratively with Royalty. Kelly had insisted Marie was overreacting because of a stereotype. She'd reminded Marie that Grimms had also a bad reputation in the Wesen world as merciless killers. Marie had shot back that in some cases that reputation was completely deserved.

After a lot of back and forth Marie had agreed not to hop on a plane and drag Kelly back by her hair, so long as Kelly called once a week, confirming she was still fine and not locked in a dungeon somewhere. Kelly had held up her end of the bargain, but the conversations were always tense and never lasted long. Marie still thought Kelly was making a mistake and Kelly was tired of her sister not trusting her judgment.

"Then why did you leave her?" Sean's words felt almost like an accusation, like she abandoned Marie. She wasn't sure if that was his intention or whether it was her own guilty conscience.

"It wasn't supposed to be forever. I just needed space." The dean of her college had handed Kelly her degree and it occurred to her that her path was set. She was a Grimm and a nurse and that was going to be her life. Grimm training had never left time for summer camps and she'd only been able to afford community college, so she'd always lived at home. She'd never traveled; she'd never even spent a week away from her sister. Family was a great thing, but freedom definitely had its allure.

"Do you miss her?" Kelly considered his question. When she was hunting Wesen, or training with Sean, or spending time with Philippe, she almost forgot that her life had ever been different than it was now. It was only when she wasn't busy that thought of home crept in. During those lulls, anything could trigger a squeeze in her heart: a beautiful sunset she wished she could share, a joke she made that her family would have understood, but her new companions didn't.

"Yes, but I'm not sorry I came." Europe was supposed to be a last hurrah before she settled into adult life, but now she wasn't as sure.

"Why not?" Kelly smiled at one of the two main reasons for her response.

"If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have met your father and I wouldn't have met you." She was planting roots here with Philippe and Sean. She missed her family, but there were now other holds on her heart.

"You also wouldn't have met Eric." Kelly rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Don't remind me." She gave an exaggerated shutter, which earned her a small chuckle from Sean. The sound warmed her from head to toe. "It's nice to hear you laugh, Sean." The Prince immediately stopped, making Kelly wish she hadn't said anything.

"I'm sorry." It was the absolute last thing she expected to come out of Sean's mouth.

"About what?"

"About what I said before, in the armory. I wasn't angry with you. I was angry with myself." Kelly's confusion was growing by the minute.

"Why?" Sean had done nothing to be ashamed of, in fact he'd shown remarkable quick-thinking in the face of imminent danger. Sean avoided her gaze.

"Because I wished for you come. When he came after me, I kept thinking, 'Kelly will come. She'll save me.'" For a moment Kelly couldn't speak. When his life had been on the line, he'd wished for her, and she'd nearly failed him.

"There's nothing wrong with that Sean." He had nothing to be ashamed of; she, on the other hand, had almost cost Sean his life. If she'd hadn't figured out Eric's scheme in time, she would have never forgiven herself.

"Yes, there is. A Prince can't expect other people to save him. It is weak." That sounded like something Philippe had told him. She didn't want to contradict Sean's father, but she didn't want Sean to feel he had to bear the weight of the world alone either.

"Sean, look at me please." She waited patiently for him to meet her eyes. When he finally did, she saw that there was storm brewing there. Whatever she said, she knew had to be the absolute truth. Whatever promises she made would have to be kept, no matter the cost.

"I can't promise I will always be here with you. I don't know what's going to happen in a week or a month or a year. What I can and will promise is that if there is anything I can do to protect you, I will." It wasn't perfect, but it was the best she could do.

"That's not how Pledges work." Pledges? Philippe had mentioned them to her before, back when they had been negotiating the terms of her current position. They were the contracts recognized by Royalty and traditionally signed in blood. Philippe had wanted to Kelly to officially Pledge herself to him. She'd been resistant, and ultimately they'd agreed to a twelve month trial period. She was shocked to realize there was only two and a half months left. Where had the time gone? Kelly shook her head. There was no point in dwelling on it now.

"Really? What's wrong with it?" What did Sean know about Pledges that she didn't know?

"You've promised something to me, but I haven't promised anything to you in return. It's not an even exchange." Kelly wasn't sure whether it was Sean's sense of fairness or pride that was offended by the thought of taking, and not giving.

"I don't mind."

"I do." Sean's face was carved in an intractable expression. Philippe wore the same face from time to time. She knew from experience that there was no point in arguing with that face.

"Okay. How about you pledge the same thing I did? You can promise you will protect me as much as you're able to." Sean narrowed his eyes at her, as if he couldn't decide whether or not she was teasing him.

"How am I going to protect you? You're a Grimm." Kelly shrugged.

"And you're a Prince. I'd say I'm getting them better end of the deal. Now, are you going to let me clean that cut, or what?" Sean scrutinized her a few seconds more before nodding and rolling up his sleeve. Kelly checked the wound and found it was shallow and had clotted on its own.

"The good news is that you don't need stitches. The bad news is that I still have to clean the cut."

"Will it hurt?" Someone else might have lied, and spared him the anticipation of the pain, but to Kelly it was more important that Sean knew she wouldn't lie to him.

"It will sting, but it will be over fast." Kelly held up the hand soap and gauze. He nodded, signaling he was ready.

"I trust you." Kelly paused, taking in the full weight of his words. She knew without asking Sean hadn't just meant he trusted her to take care of his arm. He trusted her to take care of him. It was a huge responsibility, and yet it felt good, right somehow. For the first time in her life she felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.


	11. 1998 (3)

Renard's eyes followed Nick as he bustled around the police station delivering coffee orders. The boy rattled off names and matching orders from memory. Two dozen officers and detectives and he hadn't made a single mistake. It was impressive, considering he'd only been interning at the station for two weeks.

Nick approached every assignment, no matter how menial, with a tenacious work ethic. The same couldn't be said for his fellow intern, a boy whose name Renard had picked at random once he'd received Nick's application.

While Burkhardt rushed to complete every chore he'd been given, his partner lingered in the break room, attempting to flirt with a pretty young officer. The fact his 2nd choice was a lazy incompetent didn't bother Renard in the slightest. The boy's deficiencies made Nick's qualities stand out even more by comparison. Renard wanted Nick to be valued and accepted by the Portland PD. He wanted the police station to feel like a second home to the boy, somewhere he'd never want to leave.

Renard's smile as Nick approached was only partly for show. There was something about the kid he couldn't help liking. Feeling that way was probably a mistake, but for now it was beyond his control.

"Officer Renard. French Roast, one sugar." Nick carefully balanced the cardboard tray on one hand, while carefully removing the coffee with the other. The boy was definitely coordinated. Smiling Nick handed the cup to Renard.

"Thanks, Nick. Where's your partner in crime? I thought he was supposed to be helping you." The prince knew exactly where the boy was, but he was interested in how Nick would respond to the question.

"He is… I forgot the napkins, so Kyle went to get some from the break room…he'll be back to help me any second." Nick forgot the napkins? The boy who'd remembered the names and orders of everyone in building, had forgot the napkins? Somehow Renard found that hard to believe. Nick was probably covering for this Kyle. Renard found Nick's behavior puzzling, considering he had not gotten the impression the two boys were friends.

"Why don't I help you with those until he gets back?" Renard nodded at the ten cups remaining in the tray. It was the perfect opportunity to spend extra time with Nick without appearing suspiciously over interested in the department's new intern.

"Are you sure you're not too busy?" Renard had three reports waiting to be completed on his desk, none of which were even close to as important as Nick Burkhardt.

"I'm sure." Renard took the tray from Nick, and they began making their way around the bull pen. Nick was more efficient, now that he didn't have to juggle all ten cups at once. They were finished in less than a minute. Renard tossed the empty box and returned to his own coffee with Nick trailing behind.

"Thanks, Officer Renard." Renard smiled and took a long sip from his cup.

"My pleasure. So, how's you aunt?" The prince hated small talk, but it was sometimes a necessary evil.

"She's good." Nick glanced away and shifted his weigh slightly. The boy really needed to work on his tells. Something about Renard's innocent comment had made Nick slightly uncomfortable and his interest was unexpectedly peaked.

"I'm glad she changed her mind about your working here. I hear you've been doing a great job." Nick had already earned a reputation among some of the younger officers. One of the new recruits had asked Nick to submit a report to his supervisor. Nick had briefly scanned the paper as he'd been walking it over to the commanding officer's desk. The boy had noticed a major typo and taken the report back to the officer's desk.

After a little self-righteous bluster, the man had taken a second look at his work and discovered that the sixteen-year-old was right. He'd made the correction and re-submitted it with his superior being none the wiser. Word had quietly spread among the lower ranks and suddenly Nick had become the unofficial copyeditor of quite few of Renard's contemporaries.

"Thanks. Umm…I don't want you to think that…I know Aunt Marie was a little…edgier with you than she usually is, but I wanted you to know, it wasn't personal. She just doesn't like cops all that much." Nick had picked up on the tension between Marie and himself that day. It was interesting that she choose to ascribe her testiness to a dislike of law enforcement officials. As a Grimm he was surprised she hadn't had at least a few run-ins with the police. She was obviously good at covering her tracks.

"I see." Nick reddened slightly; no doubt concerned he had caused offense.

"Uh, no, that came out wrong. She likes cops; she just doesn't want me around them…No, I'm not explaining this right…She doesn't want me spending time with cops, because she doesn't want me to become a cop. When I told her I didn't want to go to college, that I wanted to go into the police academy after graduation instead, she kind of flipped out." Nick concluded his ramble with a helpless shrug.

"Really?" Renard was extremely pleased. Nick was seriously considering the exact profession Renard wanted him to choose. He tried to suppress his feeling of triumph. Nick was only sixteen and teenagers changed their minds about what they wanted to be every other day.

"She somehow got it into her head that I was going to go into medicine like my mom." Renard knew interacting with Marie and Nick was essential to his plans for the future, but did spending time with them always have to include moments like this? They kept picking at a four-year-old scab and it felt like the damn thing was never going to heal.

"Is your Mom a doctor?" It was moments like this that Renard was actually grateful for what his mother had put him through in order to teach him how to hide his feelings.

"She was a nurse. She died four years ago." Nick cast his eye down to the floor, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"I'm sorry." Renard had never felt more connected with another living being as he did with Nick at that moment. They were different in so many ways, but the grief they shared united them in that instant. Renard winced internally at the sudden and unwelcome pang of empathy.

"Yeah, me too." Nick shook himself and offered Renard a weak smile, "Aunt Marie thinks I'd be a good doctor, because I'm really good at Science and Math." Renard believed a person should play to their strengths, but Nick had any number of talents, which meant he could choose which of them he wanted to pursue.

"What do you think?" If Nick was anything like his mother, what Marie said was ultimately irrelevent. In the end it would come down to what the boy wanted.

"I don't know. I do want to help people, and it would definitely come in handy if I end up inheriting my family's inner ear problem."

"Inner ear problem?" Renard was genuinely confused. In all the time he'd spent with Kelly, he'd never heard her mention an 'inner ear problem'. Was it some Kessler family Achilles' heel that they kept quiet so their enemies didn't exploit it?

"It's this crazy balance issue the doctors can't seem to fix. Every couple of months it flares up, messes with her balance and she has an accident. Aunt Marie comes home with bruises and cuts, sometimes even broken bones. The weirdest part is that she is super coordinated and athletic the rest of the time. You should see her practice baseball with me."

Suddenly it all clicked and Renard had to choke down a bubble of laughter fighting to escape his throat. It was an unusual occurrence. 'Inner ear problem' was clearly Marie's go to excuse for anytime she was injured performing her duties as a Grimm. The more Renard thought about, the more he admired the brilliant simplicity of the lie.

Nick had to notice that his aunt came home from some of her late nights a little the worse for the wear. She made it very clear she didn't want Nick to know the truth until it was absolutely necessary, so she'd had to come up with a believable cover story.

The "I was mugged" excuse only works so many times before it sounds suspicious. Marie was a librarian, so work-related injury was out. Over-using the "I fell down" explanation would start making co-workers suspect domestic abuse, IF it wasn't substantiated by a medical excuse for clumsiness. Medical records were confidential, so no one could check on the diagnosis and Kelly had probably passed on enough information about first aid to her sister that Marie could self-administer treatment for all, but the most serious of injuries.

"Does that mean I should start calling you 'Dr. Burkhardt'?" Renard was already brainstormed ways to work around this potential wrinkle. Perhaps he could send Nick to spend some quality time with the department's coroner. If Nick hated getting up close and personal with corpses then med school was definitely out, if he liked it, Renard could buy Nick some books on forensic science.

"Not just yet. I think I'd like 'Detective Burkhardt' better." That was a relief. Renard would settle for Nick being the department's medical examiner, but as a police officer, Nick would be easier to keep an eye on."Like I said; I want to help people and being a cop seems like a great way to do that. Besides there's this thing…" Nick's voice trailed off as he reddened once again and turned away, "You know what, it's stupid, and you probably have to get back to work." What had Nick stopped himself from telling Renard?

"No, I want to know." Renard's desk could be on fire at the moment and he wouldn't care.

"I have this thing where sometimes I just know stuff about people." Renard was definitely intrigued.

"You can read their minds?" He'd never put much stock in so called 'psychic powers', but given Nick's genetics Renard wasn't ready to dismiss anything off hand.

"No, I'm not telepathic, it's just that sometimes, I get a sense about people, things that are hidden just beneath the surface. That's the best way I know how to explain it." Nick's description sounded remarkably similar to Grimm vision, except that he wasn't seeing Woges, he was sensing secrets.

"Would you mind giving me a demonstration?" Nick shrugged.

"Sure." Renard waited as the boy scanned the room. His eyes fell on an officer sitting at his desk. The man glanced at his watch and Nick smiled.

"Officer Bennett is nervous because he has a very important date with his girlfriend tonight. He's proposing."

"Did he tell you that?" Renard scrutinized the man and couldn't see how Nick had come up with his theory. Bennett did seem to be checking the time more regularly than he usually did, but that could be for any number of reasons.

"No, he hasn't told anyone, because he's afraid she'll say no."

"It's an interesting guess. Let's go see if you're right." Nick didn't protest as they crossed the room to Jimmy's desk. He looked up as they approached.

"What's up?"

"I was hoping you could settle a bet for me and Nick. Were you planning on popping the question to Christina tonight?" Officer Bennett's mouth fell open in shock. That was that all the answer Renard needed.

"How did you know that? I didn't even tell my own mother." Nick was right on all counts. This talent of Nick's was definitely something he'd need to devote some thought to. Strange, how Marie had never mentioned it.

"Lucky guess." Officer Bennett ran a shaky head through his hair.

"Good guess. Do me a favor, though, keep it under your hat. I don't want to jinx it, alright?" Renard nodded absently, his thoughts occupied by more pressing matters than Bennett's marital status. He waved Sean to follow him back to his own desk.

"That's quite a talent you have there." Nick was right; it would definitely be a useful skill for a detective to have. Renard won't mind having the boy's ability for himself.

"Thanks. I try not to use it all that often." The boy had once again thrown Renard though a loop.

"Why not?" If Renard had the insight Nick did, he'd use it constantly. The blackmail potential alone was infinite.

"People don't like it. Sometimes I see things they don't want me to see." Renard didn't doubt that. Even so called "ordinary people" had plenty of secret, shameful things buried that they wouldn't want Nick to bring to light. A troubling thought struck Renard.

"Can you see anything about me?" At first the prince had only seen the potential benefits of this new discovery. It was only now he started to consider the possible cost. Nick gave an awkward one-sided shrug.

"Not much." Renard's sixth sense was telling him there was something Nick was not saying.

"But there is something?" The boy sighed and nodded reluctantly. Renard gestured him to go on, despite the foreboding he would regret it.

"You miss someone…a woman who used to take care of you…maybe your mother?… She's been gone for a long time, but it still hurts, so you try not to think about her." Renard couldn't speak. Of all the things Nick could have seen, it would have to be that. Nick, turned to walk away, but then stopped a turned back.

"Officer Renard? I know it's none of my business, but don't forget her." Nick's words came out in a tumble, like he was afraid if he slowed down, he wouldn't have the courage to say what he wanted to say, "I used to think, with my mom, it would be easier if I could forger her, to forget both my parents actually, but I realized if I forgot them it would be like they never existed, which would be worse." Nick turned and bolted before Renard could respond. It was just as well, because he had no idea how he would have answered.

A part of him was resentful and angry at Nick for handing down advice on how to mourn Kelly's death. For one thing Renard knew more about what happened that night than Nick did and for another Nick had had twelve full years of good memories to lessen the sting of her absence. Renard had had less than three months.


	12. 1981 (8)

Sean hit the ground for what felt like the thousandth time that afternoon. His muscles no longer seemed to be obeying the orders of his brain and he ended up in a heap on the mat. He was definitely going to need to sleep on his stomach tonight.

"Sean, I've told you a hundred times: Keep your feet tucked." Kelly HAD said it a hundred times, but it was a lot to remember: 'Tuck your head. Push off with your rear leg. Allow your body to rock forward into the roll across from shoulder to the hip. Keep your feet tucked during the roll. Come out of the roll hands up turning to face the direction the roll was begun.'

Sean didn't move from the mat. He was NOT getting up, only to fall back down once again. The servants would have to carry him out.

"Just one good one, and then we can stop for the day." It was easy for Kelly to say 'just on more', she hadn't done the first few hundred. Kelly put her hands on her hips.

"Come, Sean. Let's not forget whose idea this was in the first place." Sean groaned. When he'd asked Kelly if they could spend their last few weeks before he went back to school on martial arts training, this wasn't what he'd had in mind.

It had all started a week ago when Kelly had taken him to see a movie for the first time in his life. His father considered film vulgar entertainment for the lower classes and his mother wasn't interested in spending time with Sean that didn't involve intelligence gathering or grooming him into Philippe's idea of a perfect prince.

When Kelly had invited him to come with her to see an action movie, Sean had suggested they keep the outing a secret from his father. The Grimm had vehemently refused, saying that she couldn't possibly kept secrets from Philippe. In that moment he'd found it hard to believe she was the same woman who had flatly lied to the prince for him on the night they met. Kelly was different than she'd been two months ago.

Most of the time the changes were imperceptible, but whenever the Prince was in the room, or even mentioned, Kelly turned in someone he barely recognized. Her eyes dilated, and a dreamy smile crept over her face. If the Prince spoke, she listened as if there was no one else in the room. Kelly's head seemed to nod in agreement with everything he said. Sean didn't like it, but he tried his best to ignore it.

Sitting in a cinema for the first time in his life it was easy to forget his worries about Kelly's strange new behavior. Sharing a bowl of popcorn with Kelly as they watched actors kick and punch their way across the silver screen felt like a scene in someone else's life. For those few hours of blissful escape nothing existed outside that movie theater; not his father, not his mother, and not his brother. When the credits rolled Kelly had had to practically drag him out of his seat. Sean doubted he would ever see another performer in the whole of his life that would bring him more joy than Jackie Chan had that day.

The second he and Kelly had emerged from the building Sean had begged Kelly train him the basics of the martial arts. She had agreed, and he'd been thrilled. Unfortunately the lessons hadn't been quite what he had imagined.

"I don't see what rolling on the ground has to do with martial arts." Sean had thought he'd be learning kicks and punches, not summersaults

"You're learning how to protect yourself when you fall-" Kelly stopped mid-sentence and put her hand over her mouth. Without warning she sprinted off the mat with at a breakneck speed, grabbed the wastebasket by the door and vomited into it. Sean struggled to sit up; watching with a combination of concern and disgust as she finished, put the basket down and walked over to her water bottle.

"Are you alright?" Kelly smiled weakly as she took a swig of water.

"I'm fine." She didn't look fine. Her skin had taken on a greenish hue.

"I'll get the servants to call a doctor." Sean pushed himself to his feet, but Kelly motioned for him to stop.

"Sean, I'm not sick."

"You just threw up." People vomited for a reason. Something was wrong with Kelly, and Sean would see she was taken care of. He had promised to protect her, after all.

"Yes, but I'm not sick, I'm-" Kelly stared intently at him for a few seconds, then sighed, "Sean, would you sit down please? I have to tell you something. I was going to tell your father first, but this concerns you too," Kelly waited until Sean had lowered himself back down on the floor before announcing, "You're going to be a big brother." Sean's mouth dropped open.

"I don't understand." A big brother? Him? Did that mean that Kelly was…

"I'm pregnant, Sean." Her words were like a detonating bomb, destroying Sean's world in a single instant. The blood drained from his face and he heard ringing in his ears. It was the end of everything.

He didn't move as Kelly scooted over to sit beside him.

"I know this must be a big shock, but I love Philippe and he loves me and we're all going to really happy together. Whoever's in here, I know they're going to love you as much as I do." The last sentence somehow penetrated his inner turmoil.

"You love me?" The word felt strange on his tongue. 'Love' wasn't a term used by members of his family, as least not in reference to one another. 'Love' was a weakness to be exploited in others, not something felt by or for Royalty. Sean thought back to his mother's words to him, 'we aren't loveable.' Yet Kelly said she loved him and Kelly didn't lie.

"Of course I do. You don't think I'd take just anyone to see _The Young Master_ with me do you?" Kelly tentatively reached out an arm and draped it over Sean's shoulders. She didn't seem to mind he was smelly and sweaty from his lesson. The Grimm squeezed his shoulder and something inside Sean broke. He leaned into her chest and started to cry.

Sean wept for everything he'd suffered at the hands of his family. He wept for kind words never spoken and embraces never given. Sean sobbed for the life that would never be his. He sobbed for fairytales and Jackie Chan. Sean cried for Kelly. He cried the mother he'd always wanted, the friend he'd always wished for, and the protector he'd always needed. Kelly rubbed Sean's back in small circles as his tears wet her shirt.

"Everything is going to be alright. It won't be like it is with Eric. You're going to love having a baby brother." Sean had trouble believing that. Brothers were threats and rivals. Yet this brother would come from Kelly. He would be a piece of her and Sean didn't think he could hate any part of Kelly.

"How do you know it's going to be a boy?"

"I have an instinct. My dad calls it 'Grimm Gut'. It's sort of like a sixth sense I get maybe once or twice a year. In less than eight months you're going to have a little brother. You'll look after him and one day he'll look after you. He might be the size of a peanut now, but one day he might be a Grimm." Kelly smiled and put a hand over her stomach. She seemed so calm and happy. She had no idea the kind of danger she was in. Sean had to warn her. He'd promised to protect her and now he also had someone new to look out for.

"Don't tell him." Kelly looked up at him, confused, "Prince Philippe. You can't tell him about the baby."

"Sean, you know I can't lie to him." The irony of the statement was enough to make Sean's head explode.

"He lies to you! All he's ever done is lie to you!" It was a dam had broken inside of Sean and the truth came flooding out. It was both liberating and terrifying.

"Sean-" He cut her off before she could even bring her defense of the prince.

"He's married." His tutor froze and then slowly shook her head.

"No, he's divorced. He got divorced years ago. You know that." Sean knew alright. He knew every lie his father had spewed, because he'd been forced to recite them a hundred times before he'd been permitted to meet Kelly. He's practiced the story again and again and again, because Philippe had made it clear that mistakes would not be tolerated.

"No, Kelly. The Princess and the Princess are still married." According to Nicole the alliance had been arranged when Philippe was 20 and Victoria was 18. After discovering the existence of an attractive female Grimm in his canton, Philippe had sent Victoria for an extended their house in Tuscany. Victoria had been less than pleased, but Sean was more than happy to see her go.

"I know this is difficult because of your mother-"

"Victoria is not my mother. That's just one more thing he lied to you about. The prince and my mother were never married. I'm a bastard. Please believe me." Sean didn't know what he'd do if he couldn't convince her. If she went to Philippe everything that mattered to him would die.

"I can't. Sean, I love him." Kelly seemed so helpless and small. The woman before him only looked like the Grimm he had met two months ago. Something had weakened her. No, someone had weakened her, and Sean knew exactly who that someone was.

"No, you don't. You're just under a spell." Sean had suspected his mother's handiwork ever since the day Eric had attacked him. Nicole had mentioned adjusting Kelly's 'doses' and Sean had doubted Nicole would be proscribing Kelly medicine.

"What?" Sean felt a rush of guilt at the look of betrayal on Kelly's face. He should have warned her sooner. He'd told himself that it wouldn't do any good, that Kelly was safer not knowing, but deep down Sean just didn't want to reveal to Kelly how he knew. His mother's words still echoed in his head, 'She wouldn't hesitant to cut off your head if she knew what you were.' He didn't want her to look at him and see a monster.

"Philippe has a Hexenbiest working for him. I think he's been dosing you since the first time you came here for dinner." Nicole had implied Kelly's 'treatment' was ongoing. Sean knew Kelly and the Prince had dinner at the Chateau at least once a week. The concoction was probably added to her food.

"That's impossible. For a spell like that, the hexenbiest would need blood and I haven't-" Kelly stopped mid-sentence as though a horrible thought occurred to her.

"What?"

"The night I first meet Philippe I'd been hunting. I was knocked out and I woke up here. He could have taken some while I was unconscious. I was in such bad shape, I wouldn't have noticed. Oh my God. Sean, why didn't you tell me?" Sean cringed at the question, even though he'd been expecting it.

"I didn't tell you at first because my father ordered me not to. You were a stranger and Philippe is my father. Later, I wanted to tell you, but I also didn't want to lose you."

"What do you mean?" Sean took a deep breath. The moment he'd been dreading had arrived.

"I'm not just an ordinary bastard. I'm what the Verrat would call an 'abomination.'" Unnatural half-bred, that's what they would call him as they tried to wipe him from the face of the Earth.

"Who are the Verrat and why would they call you that?" There was so much that Kelly didn't know about his world.

"I'll show you, but you have to promise you won't hate me."

"Sean, nothing could make me hate you." Sean prayed that was true as he woged and exposed his Wesen face. He trained his eyes on the mat, afraid to look at Kelly's face. He could stand a lot, but he couldn't stand to see Kelly look at him with loathing or disgust.

"I'm half Hexenbiest. Only the Prince, Eric, my mother, and you know the truth." Suddenly he felt warm fingers under his chin, gentle pressed upward so his face would be looking into Kelly's. He saw her eyes and there was no hatred there, only confusion.

"Why is it a secret?"

"If the Verrat knew I existed they'd kill me and my mother." Kelly gasped softly.

"Why?"

"The Verrat consider mixing bloodlines of different species to be a violation of the natural order. The fact that my father is Royalty makes it much worse. Royal blood is pure and must remain pure at any cost. That's why you can't tell the Prince about the baby. You can't tell anyone."

A child who was half Royal and half Grimm would be even more of a target than a half Royal, half Hexenbiest. Hexenbiests were powerful Wesen, but still only Wesen. If Kelly's child inherited her Grimm legacy, he would be an enormous threat. A half-Royal, half Grimm would be extremely powerful, powerful enough to create huge ripples in the Wesen world. It wasn't something the stability-loving Verrat would tolerate.

"You think Philippe would kill me?" Sean shrugged. His father was impossible to understand and even harder to predict.

"I think he would turn you over in second if he thought there was something in it for him." She would have to leave Europe; the prince had too many connections here. She'd need to flee back to the United States and go into hiding. Philippe had spent too much time cultivating her as an asset to let her go without a fight.

"I already told him I was going to meet him for dinner. I said I had something I wanted to talk to him about." That couldn't happen. Even though Kelly knew she was being betrayed, she was still under the influence of Nicole's spell. Its effects appeared more prominent the closer she was to the prince, so Sean needed to make sure Kelly stayed as far away from him as possible.

"You can't go." Kelly nodded in assent.

"I'll write him a note telling him I'm sick." Sean glanced at the waste basket. It shouldn't be too difficult to convince Philippe Kelly was unwell with evidence so readily available.

"I'll do it. Just go back to your apartment and rest." Sean needed some time to think of a plan. Getting Kelly and his unborn brother to safety wouldn't be easy, but he would succeed. He had to.

Kelly walked to the door of Gym before turning back to look at him.

"I don't want to leave you here." He knew she wasn't just talking about exiting this room without him. Sean felt like someone was squeezing his heart, but he tried his best to ignore it. This wasn't the time to dwell, not when there was still so much to be done. He summoned a half smile to his face and shrugged.

"I live here."

**Author's note: Congratulations to everyone who correctly predicted Sean and Nick were half-brothers! Sorry for the delay. I couldn't decide which chapter I wanted to write next. I'm happy I choose this one; it was scene that the rest of the story grew from. Please review!**


	13. 1981 (9)

**Sorry about the long hiatus, I've been crazy busy! How awesome was the return episode's last 5 minutes! Anyway back to Kelly and Sean…**

Kelly followed Sean down the dark passage, ducking her head to avoid overhanging cobwebs. The filth didn't seem to bother Sean. Despite the darkness and maze of corridors, he appeared to know exactly where he was going.

Kelly should have been grateful Sean knew these tunnels so well since it was imperative that their mission today remain a secret, but it only served to remind her of how little she really knew about Sean's life. It had been three days and she was still coming to terms with all of his revelations.

The day she'd taken that pregnancy test she'd known her life was going to change forever, but she'd been wrong about how much. She learned that Philippe, the man she thought she'd loved, father to her child, was not only married, but also that he was drugging her. She knew her feelings weren't real, yet she still felt a physical ache when she wasn't around him. Even now she could hear the whispers in the back of her mind telling her that everything she'd discovered was a terrible misunderstanding. If she could just see him again, the voices promised, everything would be alright. Kelly thanked God for Philippe's business trip to Hong Kong. With him on the other side of the globe, she could somewhat regain a hold on her sanity. She thanked God for Sean too. Without him, she'd have been lost.

In some ways she'd been as wrong about Sean as she had about Philippe. He'd been lying to her for months and she hadn't suspected a thing. She couldn't believe the secrets the eight-year-old had been hiding. A royal bastard. A half-hexenbiest.

Her father had always said that Wesen were at best, animals and at worst, monsters, and Kelly had never questioned that. Wesen were responsible for the her mother's death and for the deaths of hundreds of innocents. To her Wesen were just beasts hiding behind the faces of human beings. Sean had shaken her faith in that belief.

He may have concealed things from her, but in the end Sean had protected her. Ultimately her instincts hadn't failed her. Sean was good. Sean was brave. Sean was not a monster. Wesen or no, she loved him very much. He was one of only two good things that had come from this mess. Kelly put her palm on her stomach, thinking about the life growing inside her. She was so distracted she almost ran into Sean when he suddenly stopped.

"Give me one minute," Sean whispered as he slowly opened the panel and slipped out into the one of the castle's many hallways. The tapestry fell back in place, concealing the spot of wall that Sean had exited from. Philippe may have been out of the country for the week, but according to Sean his servants were also his spies. As far as the rest of the castle was concerned Sean was training with Kelly in the castle's new dojo and they were not to be disturbed. If anyone caught them up here it could be disastrous.

Kelly waited, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. After what felt like an eternity she moved the fabric just enough so she could get a peek at the corridor. The coast was clear. Kelly stepped out from behind the wall decoration and crept along the hallway. The room she was seeking wasn't far. Her acute hearing picked up on Sean's voice.

"You're not going out tonight." Kelly moved swiftly and silently towards the sound.

"Oh really?" It was a woman's voice she'd never heard before, rich and sophisticated.

"No, you have something much more important to be doing." Kelly finally caught sight of a door left slight ajar.

"And what, pray tell, is that?" The woman, whom Kelly assumed was Sean's mother, laughed.

"You're going to be making the antidote to whatever potion you've been giving the Grimm." There was a long moment of silence as Kelly finally reached her destination. She peered through the crack and her eyes fell on a gorgeous woman in an evening gown. Everything about her was beautiful, from her dark hair, to her ivory skin, to her full red lips. The only thing spoiling the illusion of perfection was that the ugly look of contempt on her features as she regarded her son.

"Why on Earth would I do that?" There it was; confirmation. The witch had poisoned her, weakened her, tricked into feeling things, into doing things…Kelly shoved the door open and marched through.

"Gee, I don't know, maybe out of a sense of self-preservation?" The Hexenbiest surprise last only a second, before she woged and launched herself at Kelly. The Grimm spun right and let the bitch sail by her into a dressing table. If the wesen wanted a fight, she was more than happy to oblige. Nicole recovered and turned to slap Kelly in the face. The Hexenbiest was as preternaturally strong and fast as a Grimm, however she clearly had no training in hand to hand combat.

Kelly was able to grab Nicole's arm, and flip her on her back. The witch hit the ground hard and Kelly immediate pinned her there with one knee. The wesen struggled beneath her, not willing to surrender quietly. Kelly drew the knife from her boot and pressed the blade to the woman's throat. The Hexenbiest stopped moving and woged back to her human visage. Her carefully made up eyes were wide and defiant.

"Kelly, no!" The Grimm blinked. She'd been so full of rage at this woman who'd victimized her, she forgotten Sean was in the room. She'd forgotten that the Hexenbiest whose life she could extinguish with a flick of her wrist was the boy's mother. Whatever the witch had done to her, Sean didn't deserve to watch his mother die.

"I don't need your help, you worthless Grimm-loving scum." Kelly had been about to remove the blade from Nicole's throat, but the Hexenbiest's words made her reconsider. The bitch needed a lesson in manners.

"I'd be a little nicer to him if I were you. He's the only reason you are not dead right now."

"You won't kill me unless you're an even bigger fool than my traitorous progeny. Without my help you'll remain helpless to resist Philippe, forever longing to be in his bed. He's been gone only 24 hours now, but I'd wager the withdrawal is already settling in. You need me." The Hexenbiest smiled smugly as though it was she who had Kelly at her mercy and not the other way around. Kelly would have almost admired the balls on the woman, if she hadn't also been such an icy evil bitch.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." The witch may have thought she had Kelly over a barrel, but Kelly knew better. Hexenbiests may have been powerful Wesen, but even they had their vulnerable spots. Kelly pulled the knife back from her captive's throat and used it to slice her palm.

"What are you doing?!" The panic in the Wesen's eyes told Kelly the woman knew exactly what she was doing. Kelly gave her a predatory smile.

"I bet you didn't know you're not the first Hexen-bitch I've faced. Last time around I learned something handy about your species. Your spooky voodoo has its limits." Grimm cupped her hand and showed Nicole the slowly pooling blood. The wesen blanched at the sight.

"Sean, she's going to kill me!" So much for not needing the help of 'the worthless, Grimm-loving, scum'. Kelly looked at Sean, who wore an uneasy expression. She tried to communicate 'trust me' with her eyes. Sean bit his lip and nodded. Kelly smiled and turned her attention back to the Hexenbiest.

"Don't be so dramatic, I'm only going to kill a part of you. If your Hexenbiest dies, the spell is broken. I'll be free of Philippe and you will never be able to hurt anyone else ever again." Kelly brought her hand closer to the Hexenbiest's mouth.

"No, please! I'll cure you! I'll do whatever you want!" Kelly snorted in disbelief.

"Why should I risk trusting you when I have the solution to all my problems right here?" The woman's frantic eyes fell on Sean.

"Because if you kill my Hexenbiest, I'll have no means of protecting Sean." The woman's eyes darted back to Kelly to see if her Hail Mary had hit the mark. When she saw the Grimm had gone still, a triumphtant grin spread across face. Kelly longed to slap it off her,i but nstead she turned and smiled at Sean.

"Sean, please wait for me in the passage. I need to talk to your mother alone for a moment." Sean hesitated, his eyes on Kelly's bloody hand. "I won't do anything to her unless I have to, I promise." The young prince nodded and left the room.

The moment he was gone, Kelly removed the knee that had been pinning Sean's mother and stood up. The Wesen did the same. She brushed her dress a few times, as though that would somehow undo the damaged that it had endured in the brief scuffle.

"You seem to have grown quite familiar with my son, familiar enough to turn him against his own mother." Kelly's nostrils flared at the implied accusation.

"How dare you call yourself his mother, after everything you've put him through?" Kelly would never know how Sean had come from two such horrible parents. He blatantly defied both nature and nurture.

"Everything I do is in my son's best interest." Would the woman's bullshit ever stop?

"Really? Having him spy for you is in his best interest? Letting him grow up side by side with a sociopathic brother is in his best interest? Allowing him to live in constant fear that his father will have him killed for not being 'useful' enough is in his best interest? You're not protecting him, you're using him to get to the top of the royal food chain." Whatever happened to parents loving their children? Her own father was no picnic, but she'd never doubted that he loved her. This woman treated Sean like a means to an end. Kelly would make damn sure her own son would never be treated that way.

"Spare me your self-righteousness, Grimm. You're no different from me." Kelly had never heard a more outlandish claim in her life.

"We are nothing alike." The Hexenbiest raised a carefully plucked eyebrow at her before lowing herself onto the chair in front of her vanity.

"No? You chose to work for Philippe of your own free will. He offered you money and in exchange you whored your talents out to him. We are the same." The Wesen turned and examined herself in her mirror. Could the woman be more of a cliché? Still Kelly had to acknowledge that her accusations held some truth. She had wanted the money and the recognition Philippe had provided and she couldn't blame that on the spell. She'd been a fool, just like Marie had been saying all along. Still that didn't make her on the same level as the bitch sitting before her.

"I would never have endangered Sean the way you have." Sean's mother gave a delicate snort while selecting a tube of lipstick.

"Oh really? How do you think his father will react when he discovers his bastard son ruined his plans in a moment of sentimental weakness?" The question had crossed Kelly's mind many times since Sean's confession. If Philippe was as bad as Sean seemed to think he was, then Sean was putting him at risk by helping her. Kelly wouldn't allow him to become collateral damage to the mess she'd made.

"Then I guess it's in everyone's best interest that he doesn't find out." Everything would have to be handled carefully, so Sean wasn't implicated.

"I assume you have some kind of plan." Kelly smiled thinly at the woman.

"Not one I'm going to be sharing with you. Your job is simple: make the antidote. I'll expect it in three days." Kelly started heading toward the door, then paused ."One last thing you should know: I'm not the only Grimm in my family. If anything happens to me, you'll be answering to my sister, and believe me, you don't want that."

Kelly reached the tapestry in less than a minute. When she pushed open the panel Sean was standing there, waiting for her.

"Well?" he asked.

"She'll have the antidote in three days." Three days. It wasn't much time, but she was fairly certain she could have everything in place by then. The plan would ready. The question was, would she be? She looked down at Sean, who was frowning.

"Unless she betrays you." He looked so serious, so worried for her. She forced a smiled.

"I don't think so. I put the fear of Grimm in her. Thank you for telling me about the blood. It seemed to frighten her more than the thought of dying." Without Sean's help, Kelly doubted she could have forced his mother to cough up the antidote. Killing Wesen she was good at, blackmailing them, not so much.

"It does. Nothings scares my mother more than being powerless." At only eight years old Sean already knew how to make people do want he wanted them to do. Philippe may have lied to her about a lot of things, but she had the feeling he'd been telling her the truth when he said the Sean was the son he expected to change the world . "You could have done it, you know." Kelly's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Done what?"

"Fed her your blood. I told you, if her Hexenbiest dies, the spell she has you under will break immediately. You'd be free."

"And you'd be in danger. If your father came back and your mother was human, it wouldn't take him too long to figure out what happened." Kelly could not make a move unless she was certain it wouldn't jeopardize Sean.

"I want you to be safe. I …want you BOTH to be safe." Sean didn't meet her eyes, instead focusing on her abdomen. Warmth welled up inside her. She took Sean's hand and placed it on her stomach, where a bulge would be in just a few months' time.

"I am going to fine. We are ALL going to be just fine." Despite her reassuring words, her heart was breaking. How the hell was she ever going to leave him?


	14. 1981 (10)

Sean hand rested on the doorknob to the dojo. He knew he shouldn't linger in the hallway, for fear of someone seeing him, but he also knew the moment he opened the door this chapter of his life would be over. The vial containing the Kelly's antidote felt like a heavy stone in his pocket. Once the spell was broken she would be free to escape and he would be left behind. The prince shook himself. He was being weak. He'd already made his decision and he had to stay the course.

He turned the knob and entered the heavily matted room. Kelly stopped her pacing and smiled weakly.

"Do you have it?" Sean was tempted to lie, to say his mother needed another day, so he could steal himself a little more time. Instead he dug in his pocket a extracted the glass tube. Kelly took the antidote from him and studied the red liquid. Sean stared at it too. For all he knew Nicole could have given him poison or colored water. There would be no way of knowing until Kelly drank it.

"Here goes nothing." The Grimm uncorked the vial and swallowed the potion in one gulp. For a moment nothing happened, then Kelly start tugging at her collar. "Did it just get really hot in here?" Kelly's breathing became labored. She took a step forward and wobbled and collapsed.

"Kelly!" Sean rolled her on her back and stared into Kelly's wide, frightened eyes. He felt so helpless. What had Nicole done?

"Water," Kelly rasped at him. Sean nodded and retrieved the water and towels Kelly always had on hand during their training sessions. He poured cool water on the cloth, and used it to dab Kelly's brow. When he pulled the towel away he saw it had been stained red. He looked back at Kelly, alarmed she was bleeding. For a moment Sean thought he was hallucinating. Kelly had red spots covering at her exposed skin. No, not spots, he realized, but bead of red sweat. It was a purge. Nicole hadn't betrayed them after all.

"Kelly, it's okay. The potion's leaving your body through your sweat. It will be over in a few minutes." Sean carefully poured some water down her throat and went back to padding her with the towel. After ten minutes the red sweat became clear again. Kelly's breathing returned to normal. Kelly sat up as Sean was finishing wiping the last bit of red off her ankles.

"Good thing I was wearing black I guess." Kelly was right, the fabric absorbed her odd-colored perspiration without creating any obvious stains. Sean was going to have to burn the towels to hide the evidence.

"How do you feel?" Kelly closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She exhaled and opened her eyes, smiling.

"The whispers are gone. The longing is gone. He's gone. I'm free." The prince's hold on Kelly was destroyed, just as Nicole had promised. It was time for her to go. Sean ignored the twisting sensation in his gut.

"Everything's in place?" Kelly had gone over the outline of her plan yesterday, but it didn't hurt to go over it one final time.

"Marie will 'abduct ' me tonight. Our recorded conversations will confirm how happy I was here and how concerned Marie was about that." Sean had told Kelly to check her apartment for bugs, and sure enough there had been one hidden in her phone's receiver.

"The prince will assume you went unwillingly." Kelly and her sister would stage a struggle with a few unsuspecting witnesses. All the evidence would point to Kelly's sister, and nothing would suggest the Kelly was complicit. As long as Philippe didn't suspect Kelly, he'd have not reason to suspect Sean or Nicole, "Your sister has the fake passports?" He knew Kelly and Marie would leave the country by car, but he had no idea if they were headed to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, or Hungary. Sean had asked she not tell him, so if he was asked he could honestly say he had no idea.

"Yes. All four of them." For a long moment Sean's brain ceased to function.

"Four?" His mind struggled to process what she was saying. Did mean she what he thought she meant?

"One for Marie, and one for me. One for your mother and one for you." Kelly smiled uncertainly at him, trying to gauge his reaction. Sean was in too much shock to offer one.

"But how?"

"Your mother has a lot of pictures of herself in her room it wasn't hard to swipe one, and I had some shots of you from the day we went to see Young Master." Sean thought back to that day, and sure enough, he did vaguely remember Kelly having a camera with her. He couldn't believe Kelly had done this, that she changed her plan to include him and Nicole.

"You hate my mother." It wasn't just the Kelly was a Grimm and his mother a Hexenbiest. Nicole had made Kelly his father's puppet and that wasn't something he'd expect Kelly to be quick to forgive.

"I do. But I love you more than I hate her." There it was again, 'I love you.' Words so precious and so freely given. What would it be like to live with Kelly forever? A life that wasn't just about power and politics. A life with Jackie Chan and fairytales. The life with laughter and love. Sean's eyes burned with tears he held back, because he knew that as badly as he wanted it, that life would never be his.

"Nicole would never agree to a life on the run, and even if she did you could never trust her not to betray you." He couldn't bet Kelly's safety and the safety of brother he'd yet to meet on Nicole's integrity.

"Then just you. Come with me." The temptation was almost too much to resist. What a relief it would be to leave all of it behind, Eric, his father, and his mother. Yet Sean knew with horrible certainty that he couldn't. Blood was blood, for better or worse, and though they weren't the family he wanted, they were the family he had.

"If I left Philippe would know I helped you. He'd know she helped you." He'd be signing Nicole's death warrant. He may have hated his mother from time to time, but he couldn't leave her to die.

"After what she's done to you, you don't owe her anything." Kelly's dark eyes were round and pleading. Sean had to avert his gaze. It hurt too much to see how badly he was wanted.

"She's my mother." Kelly was silent for a minute before speaking again.

"What about your brother? What if he needs you?" Sean's eyes swung back to Kelly's stomach. It was hard to believe that beneath those flat abdomen, a new life was growing. The world would be dangerous for the half-royal, half grimm baby.

An odd feeling surged through Sean as he imagined Kelly's child in jeopardy. It was one part nausea and one part anger. Sean didn't understand his emotional attachment to this stranger who wasn't even a person yet, but he knew with absolute certainty he would do whatever it took to protect him. No matter the cost, his brother must live.

"He won't. He'll have you." The baby's best chance was to disappear along with Kelly. Sean presence would only complicate matters. Philippe would call it a kidnapping and involve the police, making it that much harder for Kelly and her son to live undetected. It was in their best interest that he be left behind.

"What if I need you?" Sean struggled to keep his face neutral. He needed to be strong now for Kelly's sake as well as the baby's. He mustn't let his emotion cloud his reasoning. Kelly would be fine without him. She'd have her sister and her son, her real son. She didn't need him, not really.

"You won't. You'll have him." Kelly moved so quickly Sean barely had time to blink before her arms were around him holding him almost uncomfortably tight.

"I'll always need you." Sean was glad his face was buried in Kelly's shirt, so she couldn't see his voge at her whispered words. He squeezed Kelly with all of his might, as though clinging to her would change the fact this would be the last anyone would hold him like this. He closed his eyes, trying to commit ever detail to memory. Kelly's warm strong arms enfolding him, making him feel safe and wanted. No,not wanted, needed. Loved.

Kelly finally pulled back and Sean was shocked to see that she was crying. She smiled, brushing her tears way. She put her hands on his shoulders and bent down so her face was level with his.

"Don't let them change you, Sean. No matter what they say or do, remember: you saved me. You are my Prince Charming, and you always will be," Kelly took a deep shaky breath and continued, "There's a newspaper in the United States called The New York Times. If something happens, and you need me, I want you to place a personal ad, 'Prince Charming seeks Cinderella to start their own Grimm Fairytale' with a phone number where I can reach you. Repeat it for me please."

"Prince Charming seeks Cinderella to start their own Grimm fairytale." Kelly nodded fervently.

"That's it." Kelly stood there for a minute looking at him in silence. It was time and they both knew it. "This isn't goodbye, not forever so, I'm not going to say it." Sean nodded and tried to believe it.

"You should go." Kelly leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

"I love you Sean." Sean stood, frozen like a statue as Kelly turned and walked out the door. The Grimm's final words seemed to echo in the empty room. Sean may have lived in an ancient castle that had seen countless deaths over the centuries, but no part of it had ever felt haunted until now. This room would always hold ghosts for him. Memories of happiness and of sadness. Memories of choices made, and words not said. Sean parted his lips and whispered the words he'd held back, for fear they would have broken his resolve.

"I love you too."

**This was the last of the 1981 chapters, but have no fear Kelly and Sean will re-connect in only three short years. Next chapter, however, we will be returning to Nick's internship at the Portland PD for some bro bonding time… **


	15. 1998 (4)

"I want my phone call." Years of experience concealing his emotions kept Renard's lip from curling at the suspect's request. He had an impulse to slam the man's face into the interrogation room's table. Instead Renard unlocked the man's cuffs and left the room. Once the door had clicked shut behind him he released a long, slow breath.

Domestic abuse cases got under his skin more than most murders did. Being a killer himself, he understood homicide. Two people with conflicting objectives collide with a fatal outcome. Even if Renard didn't agree that what they'd fought over was worth killing or dying for, it still made sense to him. Domestic abuse never did.

The service call he'd answered last night was an all too familiar one. The neighbors had reported sounds of an argument at around 11 pm. When Renard had arrived on scene he heard screaming from inside the house and immediately radioed for back-up. Next he'd drawn his service weapon, announced himself, and kicked down the door. Renard had followed the noise to the kitchen and arrived just in time to see a woman fall backward on to the floor. The man standing over her had held a frying pan with blood on the rim. When the suspect had seen Renard, he'd frozen, and dropped the cooking implement.

As Renard cuffed the perp he'd noticed a small boy, maybe 5 or 6 huddled in the corner. A bruise had already begun to blossom on the child's cheek. Memories of Renard's own childhood had threatened to overwhelm him as he'd shoved the man into the back of his squad car.

When Renard returned to house he'd learned the woman was Mrs. Kayla O'Connell, soon to be Ms. Kayla Moran, after her divorce was finalized. The man was Martin O'Connell, Mrs. O'Connell's second husband, and step-father to Tommy Moran. Mrs. O'Connell had promised to come to the station in the morning and Renard was looking forward to seeing the bastard charged.

"Officer Renard?" Renard turned and found himself face to face with the very woman he'd been thinking about. Her small, carefully manicured hands clutched the fingers of her young son. The boy's left thumb was in his mouth and when Renard smiled down at him, the child cast his eyes to the floor.

"Mrs. O'Connell, Tommy, good morning. I'm glad to see both of you are okay." He motioned for the pair to sit in two of many chairs that were currently vacant in the bull pen.

A group of hikers had gone missing just over 48 hours ago and the chief had volunteered nearly every spare officer and detective to assist in the search. Renard had been assigned to the skeleton crew left behind at the station. This order happened to suit him just fine. Renard was many things, but an avid outdoorsman wasn't one of them.

"We'll survive. And please call me Kayla. The man has nothing to do with me anymore." Renard was impressed by her composure and pleased that the she didn't appear to be having second thoughts. Too many times the Portland PD was forced to let offenders walk because the complaints against them were withdrawn by the victims.

"Of course, my apologies." The woman's smile broadened, revealing very straight and white teeth beneath her full red lips. For the first time, it struck Renard that she was quite an attractive woman. She waved a dismissive hand at him.

"No apologies necessary. After all, you're my hero. The woman at the front desk said someone would be along shortly to take my statement." She paused, apparently waiting for him to take some kind of action. Renard glanced around, but unfortunately the few detectives who were supposed to be on site were nowhere to be found.

"Could I offer you some coffee while you wait?" It was the least he could do to make up for the general lack of courtesy from the men who were supposed to on duty.

"You're very kind. Thank you." Renard strode to the break room, so irritated with his superior officers that he nearly ran into Nick. He recovered himself quickly.

"Hey Nick. I didn't realize you were coming in today." It was nearly the end of summer and the official internship had concluded two weeks ago, but Nick had asked to continue volunteering. Nick was so universally liked that the captain had agreed without Renard having to lift a finger.

"Officer Renard, I need to talk to you." Renard frowned at the uncharacteristic urgency in Nick's voice. Something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" Nick paused and subtly nodded at the O'Connells.

"That little boy needs our help. He's terrified out of his mind." Renard looked again at Tommy. Given what Renard knew about the child's recent trauma, he had no doubt Nick was right, and he was once again impressed by the sixth sense he possessed.

"Don't worry. His mom's here to make sure his step-father never hurts him again." Instead of being reassured, Nick's frown only deepened.

"That's his mother?" Nick sounded both horrified and incredulous.

"Yes. Why?" Renard glanced at the pair again, trying to figure out what he was missing.

"She's the one he's afraid of!" Renard swung his gaze back to Nick. His dark eyes were completely serious.

"Why do you say that?" Nick had to be mistaken. The step-father was the monster, not the mother. Renard had seen it with his own eyes.

"Remember when I knew about Officer Bennett. This is like that. I just know." Renard hesitated before speaking. Nick's guesses had been eerily accurate before, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of making a mistake. All of the facts went against Nick's theory.

"A judge granted a restraining order against Mr. O'Connell two weeks ago because Mrs. O'Connell reported her husband was abusive. He was in violation of that order last night.

When I arrived on the scene he was holding a bloody frying pan and she had a matching injury on her forehead. All of the evidence points to the step-father." Renard couldn't go to his superiors because of the unconfirmed suspicions of a 16-year-old, no matter how perceptive he was.

"You're not going to do anything?" There was no anger in Nick's voice, only disbelief and disappointment. For the first time in years Renard felt guilty. He tried to shake the feeling, telling himself that the matter was beyond his control.

"There's nothing I can do." Nick was silent for a moment, staring at Renard with those piercing green eyes. It was all he could do not to look away. He had to be strong here. It would be incredibly foolish to jeopardize his career for an unsubstantiated hunch. Even if Nick had somehow developed "Grimm Gut" before he inherited his legacy, it wasn't full-proof. History proved that Kelly could be deceived. Nick was wrong, he had to be wrong.

At last Nick broke eye contact, "Forget it. It was stupid to think you could help." Nick walked away before Renard had a chance to respond. The prince resisted the urge to call after him. Everything would be fine. Nick would get over this. It might take a little smoothing over, but teenage boys had notoriously short attention spans. Perhaps he could convince the captain to let him take Nick out in his patrol car. Hell, he'd even let him drive the damn thing if it earned him back his place in the future Grimm's good books.

Renard was so focused on Nick the he didn't realized he'd over-poured the coffee until it flowed over the mug's edge and burned his hand. He bit his lip to prevent himself from cursing and wiped up the mess. He was lucky he hadn't spilled any on his uniform. When he was done he brought the cup out to Mrs. O'Connell. She took the mug with her right hand, and with her left, she reached out and touched his wrist.

"Thank you so much for everything Officer Renard. I'm in your debt. If there's ever anything I can do for you to repay you…" Her smile was warm as she let her voice trail off…no…it was more than warm, it was inviting. It was odd that she would flirt with him, given her recent relationship experiences. Women who have recently suffered domestic abuse tended to flinch from men, even men they don't consciously fear.

"I'll let you know. In the meantime I'll see what's keeping your detective." He smiled politely and gently extricated himself from her grasp. As he walked away he saw Nick watching him from across the room. Had the boy been right? Did Nick truly see something about Kayla O'Connell that he simply couldn't see? Renard's eyes locked with Nick's and he jerked his chin towards the interrogation rooms. Nick met him in floor of the metal door.

"In here." Nick followed Renard into the observation area of Interrogation room 1. As soon as they entered, Nick turned to face him.

"What do you want?" The simply question sent Renard's mind spinning. It had been a long time since he asked himself that question and there were so many ways to answer it.

In the short term he'd like to know he hadn't made a huge mistake and left a child in the hands of his abuser. In the long term he had more ambitious goals. He wanted Nick as an ally. He wanted to bring his brother and his father to their knees. He wanted to be a respected and feared Prince. He wanted carve out a place for himself in the annals of Wesen history. All these goals were possible, and he would achieve them in time.

The final thing he wanted was his most fervent and impossible wish. He wanted Kelly not to be dead. He thought about his old tutor almost daily since his conversation with Nick. Her son was a constant unknowing trigger to the memories of the best and worst moments of his life. He and Nick may have shared the blood of their father, but that wasn't what truly connected them. Any kinship he felt towards his half-brother came through the fact they'd both loved and been loved by Kelly.

Renard gestured for Nick to look through the one-way mirror,"What can you tell me about this man?" Nick obediently turned his attention to the suspect in the next room who was unconsciously tapping the table with his fingers.

"He's angry. He thinks he shouldn't be in here." Unfortunately that could be said for most people who passed through the integration room, both the guilty and the innocent. It wasn't enough.

"Anything else?" Nick stepped closer to the glass in order to scrutinize Mr. O'Connell more thoroughly.

"He's afraid." Afraid? Where on Earth had Nick gotten that from? To Renard the man looked impatient, constantly checking his watch as through he was being kept from an important appointment. Nothing on the surface suggested he was fearful.

"Of getting arrested?" Nick slowly shook his head.

"No. I mean yes, but it's not really about him. He's worried about someone…a child…Wait, it this is that step-father you were talking about?" Nick was bright, Renard would give him that much.

"Yes. I need to know the whole story before we move forward." Nick seemed pretty confident that that step-father was a decent man, which was probably the only good news about the whole situation. Renard wasn't going to risk his career just to move Tommy Moran from the custody of one bad parent to another.

"Does that mean you're going to help him? The little boy?" Nick seemed so hopeful and eager it was almost enough to make Sean question his paternity. Clearly Nick's predisposition to altruism came from the Kessler side of the family.

"It means WE are going to try." Nick's grin grew even broader than before.

"We? You're going to let me help? Just tell what to do and I'll do it." Nick's trusting words made Renard simultaneously pleased and uneasy. On the one hand he wanted the future Grimm's unquestioning obedience. On the other the burden of that trust felt heavy. What if he let Nick down in some way? What if he failed to protect him or to be the type of Prince who deserved his allegiance?

Renard shook himself slightly. This was no time for doubts. He made a promise and he would keep it.

"Don't get too excited, we don't have much to go on. Gut instincts are not admissible in a court of law. What we are about to do not only might get me fired, but more importantly it could determine the course of a little boy's life. I'll need you to follow my instructions down to letter. Can you do that?" Nick nodded slowly, the gravity of the situation finally sinking in. His face grew serious and his eyes became intensely focused. The expression sent a jolt of recognition through Renard, but for once it wasn't Kelly that Renard saw in Nick, it was himself. He mentally chided himself for being so shocked by the similarity. They were brothers, after all.


End file.
